Existence
by lonelypencilcollection
Summary: In the demonic realm a terrible curse tears through the Fire Nation after the Phoenixes were driven extinct due to Akainu rising in power in the Fire Council. The last phoenix set the curse upon the nation. The only thing that can stop the curse is a blue phoenix's flames. One cursed teen sets out to find the rumored last phoenix. MarcoXAce
1. Prologue

In the demonic realm there are 6 nations; fire, water, earth, air, light, and dark. Each of these nations was run by a council of royal families. The fire nation's council was run by members of two species of demons; dragons and phoenixes. The dragons had five families that were of royal blood while the phoenixes only had two. The two phoenix families were separated by their flame's color and attributes, although they were related far back in their bloodlines. The red phoenixes had consuming flames that destroyed as they burned, while the blue phoenixes had rejuvenating flames. Both flames could heal the phoenixes themselves, but only the blue flames could be used to heal others. Therefore, blue phoenixes were considered to be both more regal and stronger than their red counterparts. Either way, the phoenixes worked together regardless of their flames, though there was hidden animosity that the red phoenixes had towards their blue counterparts.

The nation was ruled between these seven royal families and, for a time, there was peace. But then a council member from one of the more prominent dragon families rose to power. His name was Akainu and he was far more powerful than any dragon was before him. He demanded that the council members of the other dragon families stand with him in enforcing new strict rule over the entire fire nation. His new laws sent many members of the public to death and drove many more into poverty and starvation. The two council members of the phoenix houses opposed the new laws, but weren't able to do anything as they were outvoted.

The phoenix families knew that they could do nothing to change the laws from within the council. So, they took to the streets of the fire nation giving support directly to their people. They gave money to families that couldn't meet Akainu's new higher taxes with their lower pay rates. They gave food to those who could barely feed themselves because they followed the new laws. They appeared at protests and funerals of those sent to death.

The people of the nation rallied behind the two phoenix families and protested for change both peacefully and forcefully. A friend of the Phoenix families named Gol D. Roger led the protests against the dragon members of the council and the new laws. At this time Roger sent his wife who was pregnant with his unborn child to live in the Air Nation with a rival of his. He knew that war would break out eventually and met with the phoenix families in hopes to keep the protests peaceful and not to incite war. But, he still could not risk the lives of his family members.

Still, word of what the phoenix families were doing soon reached the ears of Akainu and his supporters as well with word of the civilian unrest. Akainu decided that all that would not live under his policies happily deserved to die. Akainu began to meet secretly with rest of the dragon families with plans to eliminate those who opposed them. The first to die, they decided, would be the regal blue phoenixes. Roger caught news of this from one of his undercover spies within the government. He informed the blue phoenix family of this. None the less, the family decided that they would not start the war first even if they knew it could save them. They were pacifists; they refused to hurt and kill, even if the reasons behind it were for the good of everyone. Instead they sent their only child, a son who had only recently been born, to live with the red phoenixes. It wasn't long afterward that Akainu attacked the blue phoenix family and although they could heal and regenerate the dragons chased them to the border of the fire nation; to the sea. It was the only thing that could kill a phoenix and the blue phoenix family was drowned in the ocean until there were none left; or so Akainu thought.

The protesters led by Roger became an army to fight the dragon's tyranny and protect the remaining phoenix family. That family had fled from the capital in hopes to escapes Akainu's rage and their deaths. But with Akainu's strength and all of his supporters, the army was defeated and Roger was hanged. His wife in the Air Nation was distraught and in deep mourning for her husband. Thus, her health started to decline. She died during childbirth leaving behind her son shortly after he was born in the hands of her husband's trusted rival.

Akainu's rage was not stated with Roger's death and the defeat of the army of former protesters. He and his supporters continued to chase the red phoenix family. Finally, they cornered them at sea as the phoenixes were trying to escape to the Earth Nation that had offered them refuge. A prominent figure in the Earth Nation sailed to aid the phoenixes and to protect them from the dragons, but he arrived too late. He arrived only to see two young phoenixes, the last of their species, one of whom couldn't even use his powers yet, get thrown into the sea to their watery deaths.

But the older of the two boys, as he clung to the younger, trying desperately to save them both, whispered a curse. He gave a part of himself to a demon of darkness in exchange for setting a terrible curse upon what remained of the Fire Nation. The boy's heart was filled with hate and the need to avenge what had happened to him and his species. His hate turned into a curse of sickness that would ravage the fire nation. It would not be curable, as the only cure for it would be a blue phoenix's flames. As he and the younger boys sunk deep into the depths and their breath gave out and their vision went dark, the older boy smiled knowing that they would be avenged.

…

**_Not much to say. Taking a short intermission in _****_The Collars Come Loose_****_ to get this fic started. Just got the idea and started writing. The first actual chapter will be out before Sunday, hopefully. -LPC_**


	2. Chapter 1

Ace saw his friend's eyes tear up. Law was a Caladrius in his true form, a snow white bird that couldn't look directly at patients that wouldn't make a full recovery. Currently, in his pure bird form he tried over and over again to look directly at Ace, but his demon nature wouldn't allow him. Finally Law hung his feathered head and flew behind a curtain to change into his human form. Law's eyes were glassy as he stepped out from behind the curtain now fully dressed and looking completely human.

"I'm sorry, Ace." Law murmured coming to sit in front of Ace again. He re-examined the area of burnt and peeling flesh that covered one side of Ace's body stretching from one arm from his elbow trailing up his shoulder and down one side of his torso to his hip. "Even I can't stop this sickness because it's not a sickness. It's a curse; one that has no cure."

"Except a blue phoenix, all of which are extinct," Ace added ironically. He then reached forward with his unaffected arm to pat Law on the shoulder. "It's okay, I didn't expect for you to be able to heal me, even though I know you would if you could." Ace tried to smile reassuringly. "I just need to know how much time I have left."

Law sighed and answered in a slow forced-calm voice, "At most, you have a year left, that's if the curse waits to take your heart last as it has in some cases. Worst case scenario, the disease takes your heart quickly and you only have a few months left."

Ace nods numbly, there's not much else he can think to do as he learns that his death is unsettlingly close. He knows as all demons do that after they die they can be sent back to the mortal realm as a human again, but still he's not ready to leave. He has a brother who loves him deeply and friends that accept and care about him regardless of who he is and what his heritage is. He didn't want to leave all of it behind, he didn't want to forget about them all and be reborn as a human.

"What should I do?" Ace asks.

"Tell everyone, first of all." Law says. "Second of all, if it were me I guess I'd live every moment like it was going to be my last. I'd want to cherish every memory I could make until my time was up."

"If I do that though, wouldn't it just make everyone miserable?"

"They'd be more miserable if you don't tell them until it gets so bad that you can't move anymore." Law argued. "If you told them at least then they'd know what to expect and they can be with you and not have any regrets about not knowing and not being with you enough."

Ace nodded. "Okay, I'll tell them."

"Good."

…

Ace told his small group of friends, mostly consisting of his younger brother and his crew, of his impending death that night at the Thousand Sunny Bar. Their reactions ranged from confused to horrified. Luffy's mouth became a thin line as he tried to figure out how Ace, whom had promised not to die, was dying. Zoro's face went statue-like as he pulled his kitsune mate, Sanji, closer to him. Chopper started to cry and Law stood to the side latching onto Kidd for support as the news he already knew was told to everyone else.

"And you can't do anything about this?" Zoro demanded towards Law.

Law shook his head. "I can take diseases from people, but I can't do anything about curses."

"This is a strong curse as well." Robin stated. "It started hundreds of years ago when the last phoenix was murdered by the Fire Council's dragon families led by Akainu. It's said that the last phoenix that died set this curse upon the fire nation as punishment for killing the species. As far as everyone can tell it cannot be cured. It's suspected that the only way to stop the curse is a blue phoenix's rejuvenating flame."

"But Ace can't die." Luffy stated. "He promised he wouldn't."

"It's not that simple, Luffy." Sanji sighed, "So you're saying that there isn't anything we can do about it?"

"There doesn't seem to be." Law admitted guiltily.

"How long do you have?" Nami inquired, concerned.

"Anywhere between a few months to a year," Ace informed.

"What are you going to do?" Chopper asked. "Are you really going to die? I don't want you to die." He cried. Sanji and Zoro moved to comfort the small tanuki.

"Ace won't die!" Luffy announced. "He said he wouldn't so he won't."

"Such confidence," Brook laughed.

"What are we going to do?" Ussop fretted quietly knowing that if Ace died it would have a terrible effect on Luffy.

"But it was the curse was sent to the Fire Nation, why is it killing Ace? He was born here." Franky asked.

"It's because by blood, Ace is of the Fire Nation." Robin explained.

"I'm a Dip. My father was a hell-hound and my mother was a succubus. I inherited my father's control of fire. Therefore, I'm actually a Fire Nation demon, even if I was born in the Air Nation." Ace said solemnly.

"There has to be something we can do." Chopper sobbed.

"I don't think so; this curse is tearing the Fire Nation apart from the inside out. Even the Dragon Council is inflicted with the curse. If there was a cure I think they would have found it by now." Ace said.

"Stop talking like you're giving up!" Luffy yelled unexpectedly causing many of the people in the group to jump. "If a blue phoenix is the only way to cure the curse then we just have to find one."

"As if it's that simple," Nami exclaimed. "Have you even been listening? All phoenixes are dead. They were murdered by Akainu and the Dragon Council. Even a red phoenix would be impossible to find let alone a regal blue phoenix that can heal others."

"There have been some rumors." Robin begins causing everyone to direct their gaze to her.

"Rumors of what," Ace asked.

"Recently rumors have surfaced of a blue phoenix in the Earth Nation serving under the Earthquake King; Whitebeard. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that the rumors are true. In fact the entire rumor started from one elderly woman who claimed to have been saved by the blue phoenix. It has no real legs to stand on, but it's the only hint that any phoenix survived the massacre." The female tengu explained.

"You mean there could actually be a blue phoenix alive in the Earth Nation?" Law asked astounded.

"There could be, but even if the rumor was true, the phoenix would be very hard to reach." Robin continued. "Whitebeard is a very powerful person. He's known as the strongest man in the entire demonic realm. Why else do you think that the Fire Nation hasn't tried to track down this rumored phoenix within his army? Whitebeard denies anyone who attempts to get close to him or his army. It's said that he thinks of his army as his family. If this blue phoenix is within his army, he wouldn't let anyone come close to him."

"But if he's there then that's the only person in the demonic realm that can stop the curse. Why wouldn't he step forward and save the Fire Nation and all the people who are dying?" Ussop asked. "He'd be the savior of the nation."

"I'm not so sure about that." Robin said. "But then why would the phoenix even want to help? His family and his species was systematically executed by drowning by the nation that's dying from the curse. If the phoenix holds any grudge from the death of his species, wouldn't he just let all the people that had even a hint of fault in his species death die off?"

"Why the hell would he do that?" Kidd yelled angrily. "He'd be sending thousands of innocent demons to death along with the guilty."

"True, but those same innocents did nothing to save the phoenixes. So are they really innocent?" Sanji interjected. "Ace is because he wasn't born at the time, but a lot of the demons that are cursed in the Fire Nation were alive during that time. That would mean that they just sat back and let Akainu and Dragon Council kill the phoenixes; seeing as all of the revolutionaries were killed."

"That doesn't make not curing people an act of justice." Zoro argued.

"I didn't say it did." Sanji responded, annoyed.

"So all we have to do is go to the Earth Nation, infiltrate the Earthquake King's army, and find a rumored surviving blue phoenix, and then convince him to save Ace." Franky recounted.

"Yup, that's it!" Luffy happily shouted. "See Ace, you're not going to die."

"Luffy, that's not possible." Ace scolded. "We can't go all the way across the demon realm and infiltrate an army to find someone who most likely doesn't even exist. The person was probably just a moon bird that the old lady mistook for a blue phoenix, or even a rainbow bird."

"Why not?" Luffy questioned.

Robin giggled lightly and started to exit the bar, deciding to let the two brothers argue until Luffy eventually made Ace change his mind. She had the upmost confidence that would be the outcome seeing as Ace was extremely weak when faced with a sad Luffy. The rest of the friends that had assembled decided to take after her example, although many glanced backwards, worried about the two siblings.

"If we did that it would be just as likely to my death as the curse is." Ace retorted. "I don't want to spend the last months of my life chasing after some stupid false hope that most likely doesn't exist. The Earthquake King wouldn't let us anywhere near the phoenix even if the phoenix does exist."

"What does that matter?" Luffy responded. "You promised me that you wouldn't die, but now you want to give up before you even try."

"That's not true." Ace growled. "I don't want to die but this isn't something you can fix by just trying. If we go after some non-existent phoenix I'm not going to be the only one that gets hurt. You and your crew if we all go after this guy could all be hurt or killed in the process."

"We can't just sit back and watch you die, Ace." Luffy asserted. "You're my brother, Ace. I love you and so does everyone else."

"That's exactly why I don't want you all to get hurt trying to save me." Ace admitted. "I was alone until I met you and Sabo. I wasn't worthy of having family or friends and then the two of you gave me both anyway. I don't want to see you die because of me." Ace held back tears as he spoke softly. "I'm going to die. And, even though I don't want to, that means I'm going to leave you behind. I hate it and I'm sorry. But, can't I just enjoy the rest of the time I have here with you and everyone else instead of chasing some impossible cure?"

"No." Luffy replied plainly. "You're not allowed to die. You're not allowed to wait until you just pass away. You have to fight. You could live, Ace." Luffy wrapped Ace in a tight hug. "If we find out that there's no Phoenix left alive that can cure you; then I promised we'll make what's left of your life the best time of it. But we have to at least try. I won't forgive you if you just wait and let yourself die. You're stronger than that. You're better than that. You're worth more than that, Ace. We love you, so you can't just let yourself die."

Ace's eyes were on the floor. He couldn't meet his younger brother's gaze. He had always known that promise would come back to haunt Luffy and he. Hearing Luffy speak was like having his worse fears realized. His brother wouldn't let him die easily. Ace should have known that. But, he couldn't allow his brother and his friends to put themselves into danger in an attempt to save him.

"Okay," Ace agreed in a voice barely above a whisper. "Okay Luffy, we'll try." He promised.

"Yosh," Luffy smiled. "We'll set out tomorrow."

Ace nodded solemnly while forming other plans already in his mind.

…

The sun was far past set when Ace finished packing his belongings into a backpack. He knew that he couldn't die with a peaceful mind knowing how much pain it would cause his brother. He resolved to try to find the phoenix within Whitebeard's army, but he would do so alone. He couldn't risk the lives of the people that he cared about, especially not Luffy's. Thus, he would leave before his friends and brother even awoke and set out for the Earth Nation's border. He asked around briefly and learned around what village Whitebeard's ship had last been seen and decided that he would start his search there. He finished putting the last items in the bag and grabbed his long jacket to hide the curse. Thankfully his clothes were designed to shift along with him in his wolf form, since he would do most of the travel in that form, because it would allow him to travel faster.

"Where are you going?" A gruff voice behind him asked causing Ace to jump nearly out of his skin. He turned to see Kidd leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom.

"To find a damn deceased blue phoenix," Ace grumbled in reply.

"Alone?" The windigo asked. "Your brother won't be very happy about that."

"It's for his own good." Ace explained.

"True, but he'll still hate it." Kidd grinned maniacally. "If you want company Law and I could come with you."

"No." Ace rejected. "I want and need to do this alone."

Kidd frowned. "Their all worried about you. They want to help."

"I know, but I don't want anyone to get hurt for me." Ace disclosed. "If it starts to get too bad then I'll come back."

Kidd nodded. He didn't like what Ace was doing, but he had doubts about his ability to convince the man to do otherwise. "It'll be really boring without you around, maybe not immediately because we'll have our hands full with calming your brother, but don't stay away too long."

"Aww," Ace cooed, "Law must be having some effect on you. It's almost like you're starting to care."

"Shut up!" The redhead yelled irately.

The two walked outside into the night and Ace shifted to his large all black wolf form. He stared down one of his closest friends that looked torn between saying something and staying quiet. "Please take care of my brother while I'm gone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Kidd shrugged before adding. "Just hurry and come back once you're cured."

Ace nodded and started off into the darkness. He could see fine with his wolf form's night vision. It hurt to run as the contraction and extension of his muscles irritated the burning flesh of the curse. It burned and flakes of skin fell off of the areas as he ran. He knew it would only get worse as the cursed progress. A part of him wondered if he should return to his brother and friends if the curse continued. Surely, it would only cause them pain to watch him die. Somewhere inside a small speck of hope settled; that he would find the blue phoenix, even if Ace knew that it was highly unlikely.

...

_**Okay, so first chapter completed the same night as the first. Chapter two will hopefully be done before Sunday. Anyway Ace is a Dip; who is actually a servant of satan in mythology. He's a vampiric, demonic, large all black wolf. I turned it into a breed of demons but as will be discussed later Ace is a dip who can feed on both blood and sexual energy since his mother was a succubus and has his fire powers because Roger was a hell-hound. Which hell-hounds don't actually control fire, but I had to give him that power somehow so that's how I decided to do it. Any other demons that I feel need explaining will be explained in later chapters. Also i tried to post this last night and weird stuff happened, it should be fixed now. -LPC**_


	3. Chapter 2

It had taken only a few days to make it to border of the Earth Nation and only a week to make it to the small coastal village where Whitebeard's army had last been seen. Ace arrived roughly an hour before midnight, but not to a gracious welcome. Lately the town had been subjected to attacks by a rouge tribe of werewolves. It was the reason for the Whitebeard army being dispatched to the area. As a Dip this caused problems for Ace.

Many people were ignorant of the differences between demons with wolf forms. Thus because he was currently in his wolf form, Ace was at a major disadvantage. But Ace was unaware of the current werewolf threat that was being faced in the village. Thus, he remained in his wolf form because it was easier to sleep in and there was less of a chance of being prayed on by lesser demons. As he decided to take shelter under a large tree in the forest at the outskirts of the village to sleep for the night, the villagers prepared to defend the village from another attack from the werewolves.

The villagers gathered around two members of Whitebeard's army to go over the strategy for the battle. One of the two men had a pompadour hairstyle and the other was a blonde whose hair resembled a tropical fruit. The blonde explains the plan centering on the villages three entrances and assigning villagers and Whitebeards alike their positions. The meeting dismisses, and the blonde and the man with the pompadour head to their positions near the south entrance. The villagers are armed with silver bullets and arrows; specified to kill werewolves. The blonde notices the eager energy that the villagers are exuding and frowns deeply.

"What's wrong?" The man with the pompadour asked noticing his companion's expression.

"Nothing of high importance," The blonde responds with a bored expression. "It's just that these villagers seem like they're inching for a battle. It's like they want this to be a bloodbath."

"Can you really blame them?" The other man inquired. "One hundred demons in this village have been killed by this tribe of werewolves. Everyone who's fighting has lost someone. They just want revenge, is that so bad?"

The blonde frowned at the loaded question and decided it would be better to evade it. "It could be dangerous if someone got caught in between them and the werewolves. We have twenty four of our crew members aiding us tonight. It could be dangerous for us if the villagers get too trigger-happy. Our family members could be hurt because of their eagerness."

The other man scoffed, "You worry too much. Our family members can handle themselves. They're not weak."

The blonde shook his head. He had a feeling that there would be no point in pointing out his own nervousness and bad premonition. Oyaji had coveted his tactical mind and ability to sense how the tides of battle would turn. But, other people had a hard time following his logic. He'd just have to make sure no one got caught in the cross hairs that weren't meant to be there.

"I'm going to higher ground." He decided. "Hurry and catch up with the others. The attack will start soon and it won't be safe to be alone during that time." He swiftly took flight after making sure none of the villagers were within a visual range with his haki. He headed to the precipice of the towns clock tower. From there he could use both his haki and his vision to keep track of everyone participating in the fight.

"Stupid mother hen," The other man complained. "I'm not weak either."

The blonde waited tensely at the top of the clock tower, on the building's pointed roof. It was eerily quite as he could see and sense the villagers getting into their positions by the gates. A wind blew from the East and ruffled his open jacket and strange hair. For a moment it was peaceful, until a haunting howl tore through the silence. He sensed it then the movement of several dozen bodies charging through the thick forest at a distance of a few miles. He shot a small burst of bright blue flames into the sky to alert the people stationed at the gates that the enemy was approaching.

He then focused his haki into the forest where the werewolves were approaching. He could almost see the outlines of the partially human partially wolf countenances, he could almost hear the sound of their movement through the forest. But then he was distracted for a second. There was an unexpected presence to the south. It was a peaceful unmoving presence that seemed not to notice the dozens of werewolves approaching. It was dangerously close to the entrance of the village and very likely to be disturbed when the fighting broke out.

The werewolves entered the area only a mile away from the village now, and the blonde knew that he had to move. He couldn't fly to the south or risk revealing his demonic nature to countless people. He would have to go on foot and swiftly at that if he wanted to reach the south entrance before the werewolves did. He'd have to keep his haki focused on the two other entrances at this time to make sure the battle went according to the plan.

He leaped from his perch and landed easily on the ground and begun running towards the south entrance. In the back of his mind he could sense that the first bullets had flown at both the north and the east entrances as the villagers at the south began to see the approaching figures through the forest. Adrenaline course through his veins as a familiar sensation of battle collected in the air. The first enemy collapsed of a bullet wound to the heart to the north. The first wave of attacks had wounded many of the werewolves, but their resilience and strength allowed many of them to keep charging regardless of their injuries. It would be a long battle, the blonde knew as the second round of shots took out roughly another seven enemies.

Ace was awoken by the sounds of a multitude of approaching bodies. He rose from his position under the tree to see numerous misshapen figures charging in his direction. Ace bared his teeth and growled a threatening deep growl from the back of his throat. The sound that responded was the melody of dozens of howls synchronized together into a chilling sound that reverberated through the forest bouncing off the trees. A figure burst through the darkness with its teeth bare and its claw raised in attack. Ace stood his ground and snapped his teeth catching the other demons arm between his jaws and biting down with full force. The other demon howled in pain and plunged its claws roughly into Ace's shoulder; luckily it wasn't the cursed one. Ace shook his head, knocking the creature off balance before throwing it harshly into the very tree he'd been sleeping under earlier.

He began to stalk towards the creature once more when three more of the same demons became visible. Ace realized fighting off each demon one by one would drain his strength after a while and thought about turning towards the village when an arrow stuck him painfully in the shoulder. He yelped at the pain as he heard an array of gunfire echo through the area. Bullets hit the trees surrounding him and one of the other demons collapsed on the ground, dead from a bullet. Ace was about to turn from the barrage of projectiles when a bullet tore its way through one of his back legs. He howled painfully and watched the remaining demons charge angrily towards the sound of gunfire. He snarled and raced after them. His goal was not to stop them, but to get inside the village where he hoped it would be safer.

The blonde from earlier was nearing the entrance to the south when he noticed his companion was still absent from the front lines. He was annoyed by this fact. He focused on the other man's presence and sense two the people with him. The blonde sensed that the other two people were frightened and seemed to be female. They had probably been visiting someone at the south entrance and needed to be escorted home. The blonde sighed, if only his friend weren't such a skirt-chaser. At least he knew his companion would be safe from the fray for now.

The blonde refocus his senses towards the frontline again as he sense many combatants now being forced to use shorter range weapons while a few long range archers and gunmen continued to fire from a safer distance. The last of the werewolves were reaching the village entrances and had suffered a handful of loses while there had not been any deaths on the defending side thus far.

Ace broke through the line of trees to see the cause of all the gunfire he'd heard earlier. Villagers were armed and fighting a hoard of the demons like that of which he had been fighting in the forest. Werewolf bodies were strewn sparsely through the area. Ace charged, deciding to try to get through the frontlines into the village with the commotion. Hopefully then he could find a doctor to treat his wounds. He could already feel the cursed area protesting to all the movement he'd been doing. A familiar hunger to feed ravaged his stomach and made him think briefly about feeding from one of the werewolves that were injured. But that would be too dangerous with the fighting currently taking place in the area.

"Look at that fucking wolf," Exclaimed one of the archers, "Kill that thing!"

Ace inwardly groaned as some of the archers focused their attacks towards him. Could they not see that he wasn't one of the demons that were attacking them? Ace tried to dodge the projectiles that were aimed at him, but was struck twice more with arrows as he neared closer to the village. One imbedded itself deep into his side nearly to his spine. The other struck true in his leg, the same one that had been shot earlier.

Ace knew that if he took too many more hits that would be the end of him. He couldn't allow himself to die here; he had to make it back to Luffy one way or another. Ace swerved through the fighting no longer being an easy target for the archers that were aiming for him. He saw the last lines of villagers guarding the entrance, but most were pre-occupied with the werewolves. He dove past them and into the village's street. He headed for the centre of the village with hunger boiling hot in his throat and stomach. He had to feed quickly if he was going to survive, which meant he would have to find prey and fast. He couldn't afford to be kind anymore.

The blonde arrived at the south entrance just in time to see a large, injured, black wolf charge into the village streets. Many villagers shouted after the beast, but the blonde recognized its presence. It had been the peaceful one just outside the village. He sighed as he realized that an innocent had been caught in the fight after all. He was about to join the fight when the beast's course caught his attention. It was heading for the center of town and judging by its direction it would cross paths with the blonde's companion on the way. The blonde cursed under his breath and took off after the beast. He could not let his family be hurt; even if the beast had nothing to do with the fight it had been obviously injured. And the blonde knew that being injured could lead demons to take drastic measures.

Ace raced through the village's streets but had not encountered a single person. His breath was coming in heavy pants. He knew he could not last much longer without feeding. If he fed he could heal himself just a little until he could find someone to help him remove the arrows currently imbedded within his flesh. He would have to feed on blood for now. He didn't have the luxury of time to coerce someone into his bed. He started to worry that he would not find someone to feed from, since most people seemed to have boarded themselves inside their homes, when he saw a figure come into view in the distance.

Ace picked up his speed and quickly came upon the man who cursed upon seeing him. The man drew a gun and shot Ace twice in his cursed shoulder. The pain was excruciating, but ace couldn't stop or he was sure he would die from his injuries. Within seconds he was in front of the man and shifted back into his human form as he tackled the man to the ground.

"Sorry," He apologized quickly before biting into the flesh of the man neck right where the vein was located.

Relief flooded through Ace as the first drops of blood touched his tongue. He tried not to get greedy and drew the blood out slowly letting it slosh down his throat. The burning and scratchy pain of hunger was stated as the blood flowed down his esophagus. Ace's lightheadedness slowly began to fade as well as he could feel the bullet holes start to slowly close themselves. But he noticed something strange. This blood, it tasted human.

Ace would wonder what a human was doing in the demon realm, but he was too caught in the intoxication of the blood coursing into his body. It sent pleasant heat throughout his body but it settled into his lower regions urging him to try to feed in other ways as well. But, Ace restrained himself. Taking blood from a random victim was bad enough as it was. Having sex with that person would turn him into something he didn't want to be.

At the same time though the man under him seemed to be having similar effect under the feeding. Ace knew when he fed from someone he also released chemicals into the person's body loosening their inhibitions and causing a sexual reaction to him. His victim was currently under the effect of those chemicals. Ace could tell as the man below him moaned and arched his back sensually. Ace almost wanted to chuckle but the need to heal out weighted any humor in the situation. But Ace was forced to release the man as a forceful kick to his abdomen wretched him from his victim and sent him into the side of a nearby building.

Ace gasped painfully as one of the arrows was forced deeper into him with the impact. He grit his teeth to keep from crying out. He looked up and tried to sit up as his saw the man that had kicked him look down at his victim. The blonde haired man looked furious. Ace couldn't help but curse inwardly as the man started to approach him without saying a word as the other man tried to collect himself after being fed off of. The blonde paused in front of him with his blue eyes seeming to blaze threateningly. The blonde grabbed the front of Ace's jacket and pulled him to his feet causing Ace to gasp in pain once more.

"I had to feed," He stuttered, trying to calm the man in front of him ineffectually. "I need to heal. I'm sorry."

The blonde narrowed his eyes. Then he reached forward holding Ace in place with a hand on his cursed shoulder and wrapped his other around the arrow in Ace's other shoulder. The man's lips were in a thin line and his face returned to being blank as his anger seemed to fade, but Ace could understand what he was intending to do.

"No," Ace pled, "Don't."

The man just instructed him. "Grit your teeth."

Ace shook his head frightened as his eyes went wide. The man quickly pulled the arrow free of Ace's shoulder causing him to scream out in pain as water sprung to his eyes. He whimpered and tried to sink to his knees but the man's grip on his burnt shoulder kept him upright. His breath came in heavy pants as he had to lean into the strangers grip to keep standing. The man gave him only a moment to catch his breath before he moved his hand down to the arrow in Ace's side.

"Please," Ace begged, "stop."

The blonde met his eyes. They almost looked concerned and kind, if not for the bored expression surrounding them. "Breathe and close your mouth. You'll bite your tongue." Ace whimpered in response. The blonde pulled the arrow swiftly free again. Ace cried out and breathed trembling breaths as a tear threatened to roll from his eyes. He couldn't support himself as his vision became spotted with black. He fell slightly forward until his forehead came to rest on the blonde shoulder as his breaths became difficult. He worried that he would die here in the arms of a stranger because of wounds he'd been dealt unfairly.

"One more," the blonde urged. "Just stay with me, okay?"

Ace groaned but tried to nod into the blonde's shoulder to show that he understood and tensed for the final arrow to be pulled out. The blonde had to break the arrow as it had pierced all the way through Ace's leg. He broke the tip off and then pulled the shaft free of Ace's leg. The boy only groaned in response, clinging to the strangers back.

"Are you still with me?" The blonde asked concerned. Ace could only nod stiffly as the man lowered him and himself to a sitting position on the ground. The stranger held Ace up against him and proceeded to lean down and whisper into his ear. "Eat." He commanded softly.

Ace's eyes widened as he inhaled sharply. He smelled the man's scent. It was demon, Ace knew that for certain. But, it was sweet and intoxicating. It made Ace's mouth water as the man adjusted him so that he was leaning very close to the man's neck. Ace could smell and even almost feel the delicious blood pulsing right below the man's flesh. Ace had fed from demons before, but never had any of them smelled this tantalizingly good. Ace opened his mouth and positioned his teeth against the man's skin but hesitated.

"It's okay." The blonde soothingly said. "Feed so that you can heal."

Ace bit tentatively into the man's flesh and felt the first amount of blood touch his tongue. He nearly moaned in response. It tasted even better than it smelled; something Ace hadn't thought was possible. It was sweet and savory at the same time. Ace was sure at that moment that no blood could ever taste better than this. He gulped the liquid down his throat and the action sent waves of euphoria through his body causing him to shiver. For a moment, his mind was a haze as he could feel his numerous wounds closing and a small bit of strength returning to him. He tried to ignore the growing heat in his groin as he drank. A small tug at his hair let him know that it was time to stop and Ace shakily pulled away from the blonde after closing the wound he had made with his saliva. He let his forehead fall against the man's shoulder once more as his body began to feel heavy from food and exhaustion.

"Damn," He softly whispered as his eyelids became too heavy for him to keep open any longer. He could no longer was able to keep his hands gripping the man's back as his limbs became too heavy to move. He allowed himself to go limp against the other man as sleep forcefully dragged him away from consciousness.

The blonde felt the boy collapse within his grasp. He shifted to see the boys face. It was peaceful in sleep as his breaths sounded deep and even. He couldn't help but smile a little. He adjusted the boy so that he could carry him easily in front of him. He knew from his haki that the fight was over with only a few enemies remaining. Now he was more concerned about his companion and the boy asleep in his arms. With the boy in a carry-able position the blonde stood up bringing the boy with him and turned to face his companion. The other man had brushed himself off and was looking at the boy in his arms with disgust.

"Oh no," he started, "you are not bringing that blood-sucking thing home with us!"

"Yes I am." The blonde reasoned. "He was injured by people who were following our plans and got hurt unnecessarily."

"Yeah and he also sucked my blood!" The other man retorted. "I don't want that kid anywhere near me."

"Thatch, he only did that because he was seriously wounded. It wasn't his fault you were the only one nearby." The blonde argued. "And if you don't want to be near him then just stay in your room."

Stupid chicken, it looks like you've taken a liking to the boy." Thatch teased.

"I wasn't the one moaning beneath him." The blonde said nonchalantly.

"Damn it, Marco!" Thatch yelled. "That wasn't my fault the kid did something to my brain!"

Marco sighed and changed the subject. "Let's go. We need to report back to Oyaji and this kid needs an actual bed to sleep in."

"I still don't like it." Thatch grumbled. "That kid is trouble I just know it."

Marco paused and looked down at the boy in his arms again. The kid's raven hair looked beautiful in the moonlight even though it was stuck to his head with sweat. Marco could just barely make out the freckles on the boy's face that made him look young and innocent. He knew bringing the boy to the ship would make trouble, but he also couldn't just leave the boy in the street either. He sighed again, but he knew that Oyaji would agree with him that this was the right thing to do.

...

_**For some stupid reason a whole bunch of weird text is being added to my chapters when I post them. I'm trying to fix it as I find out about it but it's really irritating. Anyway hope you liked this chapter. -LPC **_


	4. Chapter 3

Ace was still groggy when he awoke to a pair of eyes glaring at him. It was the man with the pompadour from the night before; whom Ace had fed from first. Ace frowned before turning his face awkwardly away from the man. What was he supposed to say?

"Damn brat, don't ignore me!" The other man shouted offended.

Ace pouted, "What do you want me to say?"

"Maybe sorry for attacking you and feeding off you," The man nagged. "Oh or maybe thanks for not leaving me on the street to die."

Ace blushed and covered his ears as he tried to hide himself under the blankets. It was at this time when he realized that he had no idea where he was. He sat up and quickly glanced around the room. It was a large sized room or at least one able to house a bed and an office area all in one and had a bathroom attached to it as well. Apart from the bed, dresser, desk, and chair, which the man was currently occupying, it was sparsely decorated. The window had a ledge for sitting that was decorated with a light blue cushion that could open for storage on it were many pillows of gold and blue and a gold fleece blanket. Aside from that pictures were sitting on the desk and dresser, there were no other decorations were in the room. But the bed he was laying in astounded Ace the most. It was set against one wall of the room opposite of the bathroom and the far edge of the bed that wasn't against the wall was curved. It had silky gold sheets and what looked to be a hand stitched comforter that was blue with golden flames. The edges that were against the wall were lined with blue and gold pillows giving the bed a rounded feel like that of a nest. It was so comfortable that it made Ace want to sink back into the plush mattress and sleep the day away. This had to be someone's bedroom.

"Where am I?" Ace wondered tracing the stitching of the comforter with the tips of his fingers.

The door opened to allow the other man Ace had met the night before to enter. The blond's lips tipped up briefly into a smile before returning to a neutral position as he saw the boy had woken up. "You're awake." The man stated entering the room with a large plate full of food that made Ace's mouth water just looking at it.

"Um, yeah," Ace said shyly. Ace tried not to stare at the food in the man's hands and played with the edge of the blanket. "Thank you both for last night." He muttered, embarrassed.

The blond couldn't help but smile again and his eyes softened as he walked over to the boy and put the plate of food on his lap. The boy was blushing slightly and it brought out his childish freckles. The blonde then took a seat on the window ledge. The boy hesitated for a moment before starting to devour the food in front of him. The blond looked outside and watched the water be illuminated with the light of the sun.

"Are you alright now?" The blond asked. "Have you healed completely? We didn't want to invade your privacy since you seemed fine last night. We have doctors. If you need them to examine you we can do that."

Ace's eyes widened as he noted that he was still fully dressed between the covers of the bed. He paused. On one hand it would be good to have a doctor check just in case. He couldn't feel anything wrong and he didn't know how any doctor would react if they found out about the curse since he wasn't in the Fire Nation anymore. Also he didn't know who these people were or if he could trust them with his condition.

"No, that's fine. I'm healed now." Ace replied. "Um, do you mind telling me where I am?"

"Mind telling us who you are," The man with the pompadour retaliated and was shot a glare from the blond.

Ace flinched at the man's crude voice. "My name is Ace, Portgus D. Ace."

The blond nodded. "I'm Marco and this is Thatch." He indicated the other man before returning his focus to the boy. "You're currently on our ship. We're still anchored at the same village you were at last night. We thought it would be safer to bring you here than to leave you at an inn inside the village."

"Oh, thank you."

"No need to be thankful." Marco said. "You got caught in a fight and were hurt even though you did nothing wrong. It was our fault for not controlling the villagers hate better."

"It's not like you two were the ones that shot me." Ace reminded.

Marco chuckled. "True, but I still feel responsible. I was in command at the time, yoi."

Thatch frowned as Marco explained his misplaced guilt. Marco always took too much onto his own shoulders. He decided to interrupt the conversation. "Do you know who we are?" Thatch asked Ace.

Ace looked at him questioningly. "Um no, should I?"

"If you live in the Earth Nation you should." Thatch stated suspicion rising.

"Thatch," Marco called in a warning tone.

Ace gulped, "I'm from the Air Nation."

"That's weird," Thatch commented, "I thought that Dips were a part of the Fire Nation."

Ace played with his food nervously. "They are. By species I'm a Fire Nation demon, but by birth I'm Air Nation. My mother was pregnant with me when the civil war broke out. She fled to live with an associate of my father's in the Air Nation so that I could be born in safety. But when he died she stopped taking care of herself. She died giving birth to me."

That made both of the other men tense. Marco and Thatch exchanged a look. Thatch cleared his throat and gave Ace a stern expression as he questioned him. "What are you doing in the Earth Nation if you're from the Air Nation?"

Ace hesitated. He worried. He didn't know who these people were or if he should trust him. He didn't even know how the Earth Nation would react as to his search for the alleged blue phoenix. Would they spread word about his search to other and result in warning Whitebeard to his plans? Would they alert they drive him out of the nation? He couldn't be certain of how they would react. Therefore he would have to lie. This drove him to worry even more. He certainly was better at lying than Luffy but that didn't mean that an experienced person couldn't easily see through him. Still, he lied.

"I'm looking for someone," he fabricated his story based on truth, "My older brother, Sabo, joined the Revolutionary Army a few years ago. Six months ago he was moved to be stationed here. He promised my younger brother and me that he would write every week. But we haven't gotten any word from him for the last five weeks. Luffy, my younger brother, was getting worried so I said that I would find Sabo and make sure he's alright. But, I don't really know where to start I've just been wandering around from village to village and town to town." Marco nodded understandingly but Thatch was still suspicious.

"So you really don't know who we are?" Thatch asked again. Both men turned their gazed again to the younger boy to see an interesting sight. The boy was snoring softly with his head tilted to the right with a snot bubble forming and a fork-full of food frozen partially to his mouth. "Don't fall asleep while you're eating and having a conversation!"

The snot bubble burst and Ace woke up again. "Oh, I was trying to eat." He commented causing Marco to chuckle and Thatch to fume angrily.

Marco left his seat at the window and walked over to Thatch. "We must not be a famous as we think, at least not in other nations. Although I think Oyaji would probably be more recognizable than we would be." He supposed.

The word 'Oyaji' made Ace's eyes widen. "You're not, you can't be, the Whitebeard Army!"

"Oh so the brat does know who we are!" Thatch remarked snidely.

Marco nodded and replied, "We are the first and fourth division commanders."

Ace sat and couldn't continue eating because of the shock he was in. He could barely believe it. He traveled to the Earth Nation thinking it would be impossible to find the Whitebeards, let alone infiltrate their ship. Now he was aboard their ship and talking to two of the division commanders! Two of the people it would be extremely likely to be the phoenix. Ace thought, for a moment about telling them why he was really in the Earth Nation, but something in his gut told him not to. He had a feeling the Whitebeard commanders would not react well to his plan to find the hidden phoenix within their ranks. Possibly, if he could find a way to convince them to let him travel with them, he could find the hidden phoenix and try to convince him to heal him directly.

"We know of you guys in the Air Nation, just not what you all look like." Ace stated simply. "I'm sorry for causing you all trouble."

"Oh, are you sure you don't mean 'sorry for feeding off of you without your permission sir'?" Thatch badgered.

Ace frowned and pouted, but resumed eating. "You seemed to enjoy it." He muttered causing Thatch to go bright red and Marco to snicker.

"You damn brat," Thatch yelled, "How dare you say something like that!"

Marco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Come off it Thatch, you're the one who started it, yoi. Anyway, we need to head to Oyaji's room. We received new orders and the commanders' meeting is about to start." He then turned towards Ace. "I'll be back shortly. If you would like you can use my bathroom to take a shower, there are extra towels in the cupboard above the toilet."

Ace nodded eagerly. "Thank you."

Marco nodded and both of the commanders left the room, closing the door behind them. Ace wanted to scream out in excitement. He might actually find the rumored phoenix he was already on Whitebeard's ship. Now, all he had to do was convince them to let him stay with them. Then he could search for the phoenix easily.

Ace finished his meal happily and got up to take a shower. The movement was painful. The burnt and peeling flesh of the cursed area was already aching from its previous mistreatment from the journey. For a minute Ace considered forgoing the shower, but he'd been traveling in his wolf form and could really use one.

Ace entered the bathroom and found it similar to the bedroom. Sparely decorated but what decorations it had were in blue and gold. A few pictures were stuck into the edges of the mirror. Ace stepped closer to examine them. Most of them were group photos, sometimes containing Marco and sometimes not, but one caught Ace's eye. He had no idea who had taken the photo, but whoever had was a genius to capture the particular moment on film. Marco and Thatch sat back to back with other's laying around them. Everyone was asleep save for Marco. He was still awake and seemed to be editing some kind of documents with a red pen as reading glasses adorned his face. He looked focused, even as those around him were in peaceful sleep he was still aware and at work. Behind him the stars were out and shining brightly casting a blue glow over the whole scene except for a small lantern that was by Marco's side giving of orange light. It was beautiful.

Ace tore himself away from the picture and carefully stripped himself of his long clothing. Taking off his coat caused some of the burnt flesh of the cursed area peel off and left pink, bleeding flesh visible. He folded his cloths so that the flesh piece so burnt flesh and specks of blood weren't visible. Ace groaned as he saw the damage. He started the water and stepped into the shower once it was warm. As the water hit his shoulder, arm, and side he flinched as it stung. He could see that water going down the drain was slightly pinkish and littered with black flakes of skin. He quickly washed and tried to be gentle with the burnt area, but it was still difficult and painful to clean. He heard a soft knock on the door.

"Wari, wari," Marco said as he cracked the door open, "I'm just setting your bag inside the door. Someone from the village just retrieved it. You must have dropped it during the fight. They thought it was one of our, so they brought it over. I thought you might want it."

"Oh, thanks, I didn't even notice I had lost it." Ace said.

"No problem, yoi." Marco replied as he shut the door again.

Ace washed and rinsed his hair before turning the water off and getting out of the shower. He quickly changed after he cleaned his coat in the sink. He stepped out into the bedroom again to see it was empty. He had thought Marco would be there, but it seemed the man had returned to whatever meeting the Whitebeard's were having at the moment. He must have only come to deliver Ace's bag. Ace took a seat on the bed once more, since he didn't know what else he should do. He decided to wait for Marco to return to request traveling with them. He had to come up with a viable reason that he could give to explain his want to stay without being too suspicious.

…

Marco entered the meeting room once more and was greeted by Izou, "You're back."

"Yeah, sorry," he apologized to everyone whom was gathered in the room. "We can continue now."

Marshall D. Teach laughed in bellows, "Had to deliver the item to our guest?"

"Let's get back to business, yoi." Marco changed the subject. He and the other commanders sat in their chairs around a large table with a map it. Marco stood at the head of it and explained their new orders. "Oyaji received word today that our ally Squardo has encountered multiple enemies on his path back to the capital. Many of these are remnants of the Dark Nation Army's last installment which we had previously driven out of the country. It seems that the Dark Nation is still intent on taking land that belongs to the Earth Nation. Oyaji's orders are for us to regroup with Squardo near the port on the Island of Green Bit and from there rally our forces to drive the Army back once more."

"I don't understand why we have to go, Squardo and our allies should be taking care of that area, why do they need our help?" Haruta asked.

"The Dark Nation has sent out one of its top fighters as well and their route suggests that they'll meet up with the remnants of their army and overpower Squardo." Marco stated. "Moria and his army of the undead are in route to Green Bit as we speak. Without assistance Squardo will be overpowered by sheer numbers. That's why at dawn tomorrow we'll set sail for Green Bit. The wind is on our side, so we should be able to arrive just before Moria and his ilk. We'll fight of Moria and defend the Earth Nation and the Whitebeard name."

A round of cheers emitted from the gather Commanders and Marco had to hush them before continuing. "As for today, we'll need to make preparations for the journey and make sure we have any equipment we need for the upcoming battle. Some divisions will be tasked with gathering supplies while others will have shore leave for the day." Marco described the duties and those tasked to complete them. "The fourth division will be responsible for checking and ensuring our food stock and the fifth and twelfth divisions have been tasked with assisting them. The second, eighth, and eleventh divisions are tasked with restocking the ammunition for the coming battle. The third, sixth, and fourteenth divisions are to check the supplies of tar, rope, and other supplies and purchase whatever is needed. The first, and seventh, and ninth divisions will be on guard and handling any repairs needed before we set sail. And finally, the tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth divisions will have shore leave." Marco paused before adding, "Please everyone remember to have your tasks completed and be back on the ship before nightfall. You're dismissed."

A few hollers arose as the few division commanders scheduled for shore leave celebrated. Many of the others grumbled about how unfair it was that they would have to check stocks again, even when Marco made sure the stocks were impeccably recorded. Marco sighed as most of the commanders left the room leaving just him, Izou, and Thatch.

"Marco, what are your plans with our guest?" Izou asked. "It's odd for you to bring an outsider to our ship. It's reckless for you."

"I told him not to bring that leech back here." Thatch added.

"It made more sense to allow him to rest here in safety than in a village where people might realize he was the wolf that was at the battle." Marco supplied.

"Still, we should get him off the ship as soon as possible." Izou said. "After all having him around is a threat to you and, by extension, the crew."

"Maybe," Marco responded shortly.

"What do you mean by 'maybe'?" Thatch inquired. "He's a Fire Nation demon by blood! He could be after you! If he finds out what you are he could tell the Fire Nation! They already suspect you're a member of Oyaji's Army. If they find out you're his first commander he might not be able to protect you."

"I know that." Marco admitted. "But something's strange about him. I can't place my finger on it."

Izou giggled, "Is that your way of saying you might be interested in the boy?"

"His story is interesting." Marco conceded with a bored expression. But he shook his head. "It might not even matter. The boy wants to search for his brother. He probably wants to get off the ship as much as you two want him off of it."

"I don't know Marco," Thatch hypothesized, "I'd bet that was a lie. He seemed elated when he found out who we were. I wouldn't be surprised if we, or rather you, were his target the whole time."

"That could be." Marco frowned. "Regardless I'll ask the boy about what he intends to do now. If he says anything about traveling with us then I'll consult Oyaji."

"Marco," Izou interjected. "This is really reckless! Why would you let a random kid travel with us you're usually more careful than this?"

Marco chuckled. "It's not my secret to share, but I think Oyaji will agree with me on this."

"I really hope he doesn't." Thatch muttered.

"I just hope you know what you're doing." Izou sighed.

…

**_Hope you enjoyed the chapter-LPC _**


	5. Chapter 4

Ace jumped when Marco opened the door to the bedroom and entered. Ace had been lounging on the bed, but it felt a little strange to be caught doing so by the bed's owner. Marco seemed to notice what he'd been doing and smirked with an eyebrow slightly raised.

Marco decided not to beat around the bush but rather get immediately to the point of what he wanted to discuss. "We've received orders from Oyaji and will be leaving at dawn tomorrow on our new mission. We'll be heading toward Green Bit to aid our allies and fight against forces from the Dark Nation." He stated bluntly.

"Oh," Ace said disappointed. He knew that they probably wanted him off of their ship. The Whitebeard Army was very careful about letting anyone else close to them. "I guess you want me to leave then." Ace assumed.

"Some of us," Marco agreed, "but not all of us want you to leave."

"But most of you do." Ace guessed.

Marco nodded, "What do you want to do? You're searching for your brother, correct?"

"Yeah," Ace assured hesitantly. "I have to find him, but I don't really know where to begin. There's no way of knowing where he is. If I continue going from town to town like this it could take forever to get any information on him." Ace paused. He knew he had to ask, but he also had to be careful so that his lies didn't become too obvious. "But, I don't think there's any other option. I don't want to cause any problems."

"So you're going to try to do everything alone." Marco inquired.

"I have to, don't I?" Ace responded. "I don't have anyone to help me. And I don't want cause anymore problems for you."

"So, you want to travel with us then?" Marco asked directly.

"I do." Ace replied honestly. "It would be easier to travel the Earth Nation with a boat as opposed to land. And, since you're all attached to the government you might get word about the Revolutionary Army before anyone else."

"True," Marco maintained, "But it wouldn't be easy. This crew is a family. You'd be an outsider and many people wouldn't be fond of your presence."

"I know." Ace fretted, "But I'd work if you would let me. I'd even fight with you in the upcoming battle. I just want to travel with you. I'll follow any rules you would set. I just think it would be the best option."

"Hmm," Marco hummed. On one hand letting a random boy join the crew for even a short period of time would be dangerous, but on the other something about the boy was oddly familiar. "I could ask Oyaji to let you stay on your behalf." He offered.

"You would do that?" Ace asked hopefully. "I don't want to cause problems for you."

"I don't see why you couldn't travel with us, even if some of the crew will be troubled by it." Marco stated.

"Thank you so much," Ace gushed.

"Don't thank me yet." Marco said. "I still have to clear it with Oyaji."

"Right, sorry." Ace murmured.

"It's fine." Marco waved Ace's concerns away. "I'll go talk to Oyaji now as we'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow."

…

Marco raised his hand to knock on his father and captain's door when the man called out from within. "Come in, Marco," he spoke.

Marco smiled but entered as he was told. "Hello, Oyaji," he greeted.

"No need for pleasantries, Marco." Whitebeard smiled, "I know you well enough to be able to tell when you have something on your mind. What are you thinking about?"

Marco sighed but admitted, "It concerns the boy that was injured in the fight with the werewolves, who is currently on our ship."

"Ah, Thatch has told me that you seemed to be distracted by the boy." Whitebeard said looking at Marco knowingly.

_Damn snitch, _Marco thought. "I'll remember his concerns."

"I didn't think you were one to shrug off your family's worries, Marco." Whitebeard chided.

Marco crossed the room to take a seat on an arm of Whitebeard's throne. "It's not that I'm shrugging them off. Something just seems familiar about the boy. I only want to understand why that is such."

"Gurarararara," Whitebeard laughed, "Familiar, huh?"

Marco nodded slowly. He knew that his statement sounded strange and odd, but it was true. The boy had seemed familiar since the second he pulled him away from Thatch. It may very well have been a coincidence, but the way the boys black hair looked in the moonlight and the freckles that peppered his cheeks; it felt as if they had met before. And then, there was the matter of what the boy had told Marco of his past. It made Marco wonder if that boy wasn't the son of that man. He could tell Oyaji all of this information. But, the similarities to the boy's past and the rumors of that man's son seemed like far better evidence than how Marco thought he had met the boy before.

"His past is intriguing." Marco detailed. "He's a Fire Nation demon, a Dip to be precise, but he came from the Air Nation. Supposedly, his mother fled the Fire Nation to give birth to him in the safety of the Air Nation. But, when his father was killed, his mother let her health decline. She died giving birth to him. It's similar to that story isn't it?"

"Hmm," Whitebeard seemed to pause and think, "You think that the boy on our ship is the child of that man. You think he's the son of the infamous man that fought against Akainu when he was murdering the phoenixes. You think he's Gol D. Roger's son."

"Exactly," Marco confided. "I think that if he is that man's son, then the best place for him to be might be here. If he continues to tell his past to any who inquire, it could get him hurt. Many people blame Roger for the death of the blue phoenixes and, by extension, the curse. It could be dangerous."

"And you don't blame him?" Whitebeard asked. "You figured out who he might be and you want to keep him around rather than push him away. You have the more right to hate him than everyone else, according to the public; you and Thatch that is. But, you want to protect him instead."

"I don't blame Roger for what happened, yoi. Roger tried harder than anyone to protect them and us; he just couldn't. Even if I had hated Roger, I can't blame the son for what the father did." Marco explained.

"Gurararara," Whtiebeard laughed, "I knew you would say something like that. You've always had a good head on your shoulders." Whitebeard then became serious again. "But seriously Marco, allowing the boy to stay with us will be a major threat to you. You'll not be able to use your powers as it would reveal what you are to him. If he were to find out what you are and told others word would travel to Akainu quickly. Do you really want to take that risk?"

Marco paused but then affirmed, "Yes. I'll be careful. I can't use my powers very often as it is. It wouldn't be much harder to not use them at all. We would have to warn the crew though, so they don't question why I won't use them."

Whitebeard sighed, but conceded, "Alright, if that's what you want, son. We'll introduce Ace to the crew tonight and warn them beforehand not to expose you in any way. But you'll be responsible for him while he's on the ship, which means keeping an eye on him at all times."

"Agreed, yoi" Marco complied.

…

Everyone had sat down to eat dinner in the mess hall when Whitebeard, Marco, and Ace entered. Ace felt very awkward about this idea, but it was a condition for him to stay on the ship so he didn't exactly have the right to refuse them.

Whitebeard knocked the end of his spear on the floor to get his family's attention. "Listen," He bellowed as his sons and daughters turned their heads. "This young man is called Ace. He will be traveling with us for a while and will be fighting with us in the upcoming battle with the Dark Nation. I expect all of you to treat him kindly as a guest." Whitebeard nodded in approval before adding. "We set sail at dawn tomorrow. For those of you on night watch, be ready in two hours. As for everyone else, get as much sleep as possible for the long journey ahead."

Whitebeard nodded once more to Marco before he left for his room and the bottle of sake he had hidden under his bed from the pesky nurses who usually attended him. Marco started to lead Ace towards the food and whispers broke out from the crowd. Ace tried to ignore them, even though he was sure most, if not all, we about him. A few tables away, at the commanders' table, Marco's siblings discussed the information, worrying incessantly.

"I can't believe that stupid peacock convinced Oyaji to let that stupid kid sail with us. Does he even consider how risky this is?" Thatch complained.

"I'm sure he does, Thatch." Jozu replied. "I might not understand why Marco's letting the kid stay, but I trust that he's thought through everything. He's smart and he's Oyaji's first in command. He knows what he's doing, even if we don't understand it."

"I wouldn't be so certain," Izou drawled. "If I had to guess, I'd say that boy-wonder over there has captured our brother's interests completely."

"What," Haruta gasped, "You mean, like, romantically? No way!"

"I don't know… That seems a little far-fetched." Vista commented. "Marco's always placed the good of the family before himself. I doubt this is much different."

"True, but Marco's never concerned himself with anyone outside the family before either." Izou argued.

"How hilarious," Teach commented, "the impeccable first commander falling into such an easy pitfall."

"Shut up, shut up," Thatch commanded, "They're coming."

Ace and Marco approached the table and what they saw made Marco scowl at his siblings. Thatch and Izou were doing a terrible job of looking inconspicuous while Jozu and Vista stared at them with suspicion. If not for anything else, Haruta's bright red complexion certainly spoke badly as to what they'd been previously discussing. Ace tried to ignore the strange expressions as he and Marco took their seats beside each other. Marco glowered at Thatch and Izou, whom he assumed were to blame for whatever had been happening previously.

"What were you all talking about?" He asked angrily, though his face gave no indication of the emotions beneath the surface.

"Nothing," Izou and Thatch said automatically.

Marco hummed but dropped the subject. He was sure he could guess what they had been talking about. "Are you guys going to be challenging anyone tomorrow at the rank competition?"

"What's a rank competition?" Ace asked interjecting.

"In this crew everyone has a rank. It's their place in the crew. There are one thousand six hundred and seventeen members of our army and each of us has a rank besides Oyaji, since he's the captain." Thatch explained. "The commanders are ranks one through sixteen. The common soldiers are then ranked as well one through one thousand and six hundred."

"I, as first commander, am in charge of the soldiers with the ranks one through one hundred." Marco stated. "As the second commander, Teach is in charge of soldiers with the ranks one hundred and one through two hundred," Marco gestured to the robust man. "And so on and so forth for all the commanders."

"The rank and file soldiers can challenge each other to move up the ranks into the different divisions. Only the person who has the rank of one in the soldiers can challenge the sixteenth commander for their position thus becoming a division commander." Thatch detailed.

"Once you become a commander though it gets more difficult." Izou said. "To move up the ranks of division commanders you have to do two things. One is to defeat the commander in the rank above you, just like in the rank and file soldiers. But to pass the commander in front of you, you also have to last longer in a battle with Marco than they did."

"What? Why is that?" Ace wondered.

"Because we can't allow everyone to continuously change positions within the crew; if we did it would be constant chaos and it would impede our battle strategies." Marco replied. "It's also the reason that we only have one day that people can challenge one another for rank, and that day is the start of a new mission."

"But why do they have to fight you?" Ace asked.

"Because Marco is super strong," Haruta chirped. "No one's ever come close to defeating him. He's second only to Oyaji. So a division commander could get lucky and beat the rank in front of them once in a blue moon, but it's less likely that they'll get lucky by defeating the person's time in the ring with Marco."

"That's a little complicated." Ace noted.

"True, but it works, yoi." Marco countered.

"There's an exception for me though." Teach chuckled darkly. "All I'll have to do to take Marco's position is to defeat him."

"That will never happen." Marco smirked confidently. "Though, you're allowed to try as much as you like. I'll accept your challenge anytime."

Teach sneered, "Not this time, but I am working on something to take you down, Marco."

"We'll see about that." Marco said before returning to his original question, "Do any of you plans to challenge anyone this time around, yoi?"

"Not directly, but I am going to try to beat Jozu's time in the ring with you." Thatch said.

"But you're already really high up in the chain of command already!" Ace exclaimed. "I mean you're a human and you're Whitebeard's forth division commander. That's amazing as it is."

Thatch glared at the teen. "Shut up! That's not an accomplishment at all! Forth doesn't even get a metal!"

Ace leaned away from the irate man.

"Sorry," he apologized in a whisper.

"Brat," Thatch growled and then issued a challenge. "Why don't we put you to the test? That way we can see how strong you really are. All you have to do is fight Marco. Based on how long you can stay fighting we can see how far you'd make it in the ranks. You'll see how great I am as a human then that you can't make it as long as I can."

"Thatch," Izou yelled in warning but it was too late.

"Bring it on," Ace accepted.

Everyone else let out an exhausted sigh. Having Marco fight as it is would be a bad idea if he couldn't use his powers in front of the boy. Having Ace fight Marco, who couldn't use his powers without exposing himself was, possibly, the worst idea of the century.

Marco spoke to ease his siblings' rising worries. "If we're all in agreement then, tomorrow looks like it will be extremely entertaining, yoi." Most of the commanders relaxed as he finished speaking. They trusted Marco to not let anything get too out of hand.

…

Marco and Ace stood in Marco's room awkwardly. There wasn't a spare room for Ace to stay in while he was traveling with them. So, since it was Marco's idea to let Ace travel with them, the crew had decided that he should share his room with the boy. It didn't bother Marco much, besides the sleeping arrangements.

"I could sleep on the window seat." Ace offered.

"I doubt that would be very comfortable." Marco said with a sigh. "It would be rude to make a guest sleep somewhere uncomfortable for their stay with us, yoi. You can have the bed and I'll take the window seat. I fall sleep there occasionally when editing reports anyway."

Marco moved to pick a couple pillows from the bed to move them to the window but Ace stopped him. "I couldn't take your bed from you." Ace argued. "It's fine really. I used to sleep on the floor as a child so I'm sure the window seat is more than comfortable."

Marco hesitated. "It seems like we're at an impasse, yoi. How about we flip a coin?"

"That sounds fair." Ace concurred.

Marco grabbed a loose beli from his desk and prepared to flip it. "You call it in the air."

Marco flipped the coin and Ace called out, "tails."

Marco caught the coin placed it on his wrist and revealed the side, "heads," he stated. "I guess it's decided then. I'll take the bed."

Ace nodded and Marco grabbed him an extra blanket from the storeroom. Ace then realized that he couldn't take off his coat to sleep if he wanted to keep the curse a secret. He tried to be surreptitious and just slip underneath the blankets still fully clothed but Marco raised an eyebrow. Marco had already taken off his jacket and was untying his belt when he noticed the teen's strange behavior.

"What? Is there something wrong with being shy?" Ace asked defensively hiding his face under the covers.

"No," Marco granted, deciding to sleep in his pants and not just underwear. He didn't want to make his temporary guest even more uncomfortable than he already was.

Marco turned off the lights before crawling under the covers of his bed. He had thought he would fall asleep nearly immediately, but after a few hours it became obvious to him that wouldn't be the case. He could hear Ace tossing and turning to try to get into a comfortable enough position to sleep in. It was quite clear that neither of them would be able to sleep if this continued. Marco didn't like the idea of leaving the warmth of the covers, but he had to do something if he was going to get any sleep that night. Marco got up from his bed and walked quietly over to the window seat. Ace opened one eye to look at the man who had approached them. He was surprised when Marco bent down and picked him up.

"Whoa," He gasped latching onto Marco's neck so as not to fall. "What are you doing?" He asked in a harsh whisper.

"You keep moving and the sounds make it impossible for me to sleep." Marco responded. "We're both adults I think we can handle sharing a bed for a while." Marco gently dropped Ace onto the bed. "Move over."

"Okay," Ace said. He hadn't been able to sleep on the window seat anyway, so, if doing this would allow him to get some sleep, then he couldn't care less.

He moved over almost against the wall created out of pillows against the actual wall. Marco entered the covers bedside him. The bed was large enough to accommodate them both without making them snuggle too closely together, but it also didn't have an abundance of room seeing as the pillows took up a good portion of it. Thankfully the comfortable mattress was quickly lulling Ace into a deep sleep.

"Thanks," he said sleepily.

"No problem," Marco replied, "I couldn't sleep either."

They both fell asleep easily afterwards. For Ace, the soft bed and the presence of another being close by eased him into sleep quickly. It reminded him of sleeping cuddled close to his two brothers. For Marco, it was the silence and the easy sounds of breathing that let him slip into sleep. Sometime during the night Marco's arm ended up slinging over Ace's waist, but in sleep neither of them noticed it.

…

_**yay another chapter. I'm really struggling with the **__**collars come loose**__** but i have a lot of ideas for this. So, guess I'm count it as a vacation. hope you liked it. -LPC**_


	6. Chapter 5

Marco woke up in an awkward position in more way than one. Marco woke up to his temporary roommate pressed tightly into his chest, as if he was snuggling him as close as he could physically get. Furthermore, one of Marco's arms was haphazardly thrown over the others waist and his palm was resting on the small of his back. Their legs were entangled to a dangerous level and both of the boys arms were wrapped around Marco's chest. Marco frowned. He had to untangle himself from the other before he woke up, or it would be a fairly awkward morning.

Firstly, he removed his arm and hand from Ace's waist and back. This, however, only caused the other man to latch onto him tighter. Marco huffed and rolled his eyes. The kid wasn't making this easy. Marco tried to push the boy back a bit by the shoulders, but that caused him to move backward as well and towards the edge of the bed. Too late, Marco noticed that he was falling, and since their legs were entangled, Ace fell with him.

Marco had the air knocked out of him as he hit the floor and then Ace landed on him. Marco groaned as the impact caused the other man to snap into alertness on top on him. The younger one seemed stunned as he sat where he was, on top of Marco, without moving an inch for a good five seconds. Marco stared up at him with a blank expression as Ace's face started to be shaded a bright red. Marco's eyebrows moved closer together in a frown when Ace bolted away from him.

"What the hell?" The boy yelled as soon as he was away from the blond.

Marco stretched and stood up. As much as he wanted to completely ignore the boy's question, he knew it would only make it more awkward. "It would seem that we ended up sleeping in an odd position last night." He tried to explain, "I woke up and tried to leave without waking you, but our legs were too tangled. I fell off the bed when I tried to get away, and since you were holding onto me; you fell too."

Ace's face took on an expression that was a mix between a frown and a pout. "I'm not sharing a bed with you ever again."

"Too bad," Marco teased, "you looked so cute cuddled into me, yoi."

Ace felt his skin heat up again. "Shut up!" He screamed. "I was not cuddling with you."

"Whatever you say," Marco jaunted, "You don't want to share a morning shower with me as well?

"You bastard," Ace yelled.

Marco sighed, "Relax, I'm kidding. But, I am going to take a shower. Breakfast starts in ten minutes. If you don't want to have to fight the crowds for food I suggest you head to the mess hall soon."

Ace pouted but approached Marco before crossing his arms. "You're still a jerk."

Marco shrugged and walked into the bathroom. He had to admit teasing the younger man was very fun. Ace was cute in the other man's opinion. He liked it when the blush made the boy's freckles stand out. But, the boy was also a mystery. He hoped his hunch was correct. He hoped that the reason the boy seemed familiar was because of his similarities to his father.

Marco had only met Gol D. Roger once, but the man had left a major impression on him. They'd met when the red phoenixes were still alive a year or two after the blue phoenixes had been exterminated. They'd been fleeing the Fire Nation and Roger had met them on his way to fight Akainu. Even Marco who was only a couple years old could tell there was something special about the man. He had a personality that drew people in. He smiled constantly even in the face of almost certain death. And he'd been kind. Marco remembered the few words they had shared. The man had been sorrowful over the loss of the blue phoenixes, but he'd told Marco something important. He had told him that even if there was no one left like him in the demonic realm that he shouldn't be sad because someday he'd find nakama and a place he would belong. Marco had taken those words to heart. Even as he was thrown into the ocean with his best friend, whom he considered his brother, he'd remembered them.

There was one other option as to why the boy seemed so familiar, but it was a folk tale at best and stupidity at worst. It was a superstition in the demonic realm that when you thought someone looked familiar in the demonic realm, that they'd been your lover in the human realm in your previous life. Marco didn't believe in that legend. To him it only meant for people were desperate for affection and that was disappointing.

Ace on the other hand, completely believed in the old folk tale, just not about Marco. Sure the man looked familiar, even felt familiar, but he still doubted that the two of them had been connected in their past lives_. Maybe it's just the hair, _Ace thought; _that must be it. I must have seen someone else who had that ridiculous hair cut and remembered it. _He shrugged off the concern like this, but the scene from earlier made it difficult.

They had been way too close and Marco had smelled so good. Ace didn't know what made the man smell so delicious, but he did. Ace had wanted to feed from him again, badly. Thankfully, the shock of the situation had snapped him out of the trance the scent had been putting him in. Otherwise he would have fed from Marco again, which probably would have gotten him killed, or at least thrown off the ship into the ocean where he would have drowned. Sure, Marco had let him feed off of him when Ace was injured, but Ace couldn't expect him to be as gracious in that situation.

Ace sighed; it was going to be tremendously difficult to share a room with someone who smelled like the most enticing meal in the demonic realm. _Must not eat roommate, must not eat roommate_, Ace repeated in his mind as he entered the mess hall. The hall was already alight in the early morning and quite a few people had already gathered there in anticipation for their first meal of the day. Ace groaned but joined the line of people in waiting for food. Today felt like it was going to be a long day.

…

It was a couple of hours when the rank competition began. The deck of the Moby Dick became an arena. Whitebeard sat in a large chair in front of an open area on the deck. The fights occurred in a large square section and everyone crowded around the arena to watch or to wait for their turn. Ace and Marco stood next to each other and watched the fights. Marco watched them with the same lazy expression he always wore and waited until the commanders would have the arena.

Ace, beside him was trying to look at anything other than the blond next to him. Sure the fights were interesting but so far it had only been rank and file soldiers and it was nearing midday. He really wanted to see Marco and the other commanders fight. If he saw the commanders fight he might be able to find the phoenix that was likely one of them. The crowd buzzed around him. It seemed they shared his wishes. They were also getting bored with the normal soldiers' fights.

"I want to see the commanders fight."

"Yeah, I heard Thatch is challenging Jozu's time."

"He's not going to beat our commander's time," said a third division soldier. "Our commander's a golem."

"Hey, our commander may be human, but he's still strong." Argued a forth division member.

"Jozu," Ace turned toward the large man, "You're a golem?"

"Yeah," Jozu answered, "I'm a diamond golem."

"Whoa, that's incredible." Ace gushed. "Diamonds are nearly indestructible. No wonder you're so high in the ranks. How can anyone be stronger than you? Diamonds are the strongest substance."

"That doesn't mean much in the demonic realm." Jozu admitted. "I'm strong but those ahead of me have earned their positions."

Ace nodded and then asked another question that put most of the commanders on edge. "So what kind of demons are you and Teach?" He asked Marco.

"I'm a Tsi-noo with control of darkness." Teach responds.

"What about you, Marco?" Ace asked turning towards Marco.

The others also turned towards Marco with rapidly paling faces when Thatch spoke up. "Yeah, Marco why don't you tell us what you are?" He asks loudly causing everyone to stare at him in shock and duress. "This bastard," He continues walking over to Marco and gripping him on the shoulder. "He's never told one of us what kind of demon he is. None of us even know. We keep trying to make him reveal it in the fights but it's impossible. This son of a bitch is so fucking secretive."

The rest of the commanders and those near them caught on quickly to the plan Thatch had in mind. "Yeah Marco, we're your family how can you keep something like this from us?" Izou added.

"I bet he just doesn't want anyone to know he's a low level demon or something like that." Haruta jested with a smile. "He so strong, but what would happen if we found out he's an uwan."

"That would be hilarious." Izou replied with a laugh.

"No, no" Vista contributed, "I bet he's a squonk."

"No, even better I bet he's a mannegishi." Namur sneered.

Ace snickered at the thought of Marco being an uwan and randomly shouting at people to surprise them. He started laughing when he thought of Marco dissolving into a pool of tears like a squonk. He was nearly doubled over as he imagined Marco being short with only six fingers and no nose like a mannegishi. Marco frowned beside him at the way this conversation was going.

"I got it!" Thatch announced stepping forward. "He's an akaname!"

That brought a round a deafening laughter. Most of those within hearing distance were doubled over with laughter as their ribs started to hurt and their eyes started to water. Until they saw Marco come up behind Thatch wearing a dark and deadly expression on his usually aloof face. Thatch frowned as he saw the color drain from the others faces. Thatch turned just in time to be kicked, powerfully, in the face by an extremely irate Marco. The force of the kick sent Thatch flying into the wall leading to the inside of the ship.

"You son of a bitch," Thatch grumbled getting up and dusting himself off.

Marco spoke in a threatening voice, "That was too far, yoi."

"Gurararara," Whitebeard laughed at his sons' behavior. Somehow, Thatch always managed to ruffle Marco's feathers. "I think that's enough for now." He said as the fight that had been taking place finished up. "Let's eat and we'll continue with the commander's fights after lunch. It looks like Thatch will be challenging Jozu's time first."

…

After a tense lunch, comprised of Thatch and Marco glaring at each other and Ace falling asleep in his food, everyone gathered again on the deck to continue the rank competition. Thatch and Marco were getting ready to fight and Ace was excited to see the battle. Everyone on the ship, besides maybe Teach, thought that Marco was undefeatable. Ace could barely wait to see the man in action.

"So how long does Thatch have to last to beat your time?" He inquired of Jozu.

"My time is four minutes and fifty eight seconds so he has to last four minutes and fifty nine seconds to beat me." Jozu stated. "Thatch's time currently is four minutes and thirty two seconds. He only has to last twenty six seconds longer, but I don't think that will be happening today."

"Why is that?" Ace asked.

"Because Marco's angry," Izou laughed. "He'll fight more aggressively than normal."

"He did call Marco a filth-licker after all." Haruta said. "It'll be fun to watch Marco teach Thatch a lesson though."

"Yes, it will be." Izou nodded.

"So, if Teach is the second commander that means that he's lasted the longest fighting Marco, right?" Ace guessed. "How long is your time then?"

"Five minutes and fifty three seconds," Teach stated. "That's the longest that I've ever lasted and the best time so far."

"Wow that's a lot longer than Thatch." Ace commented. "How did a human like Thatch end up a commander of a division in Whitebeard's army anyway?" Ace wondered. "I thought humans weren't allowed in the demonic realm unless they were slaves or consorts of a demon."

"They aren't normally." Izou stated, but didn't disclose anything else; knowing that if he did it would have major repercussions.

"Okay," Ace continued, "Then how is he here?"

Jozu and Izou exchanged a look, and Jozu responded. "I'm sorry Ace but that's Thatch's story to tell. If you're that curious, you should ask him."

"As if he would tell me," Ace grumbled. "He hates me. I fed from him and now he won't forgive me. It wasn't even my fault! I didn't have any other choice."

"That might be why he hates you." Izou said. "All vampiric creatures cause chemical reactions in their victims that make them experience sexual attraction. Thatch probably hates that he felt that for you. As a proud skirt chaser he probably feels insulted or disgusted that you made him feel attracted to you since you're a man."

Of course there was another reason Thatch probably hated Ace. That reason was that Thatch didn't want the boy to discover Marco's secret. If he did it would spell the end for the blond and possibly for Thatch as well. Akainu wouldn't just let Marco live freely if he found out that he was the last blue phoenix. No one wanted to think about what the dragon would do to Marco if he was discovered.

"That's a stupid reason to hate someone." Ace argued.

"I never said he had a smart reason." Izou retorted.

Ace started to pout when Whitebeard hit the bottom of his spear against the ground to get everyone's attention. Marco and Thatch faced each other in the square arena. "Everyone, we will now continue with the rank competition." At this cheers erupted from the crowd. "First up is Thatch facing Marco to beat Jozu's time."

"Finally," Ace exclaimed.

Marco and Thatch shook hands then walked three paces each away from each other. They waited until Haruta, who had been delegated to be the timer, blew a whistle and started the stopwatch he was holding. At the sound of the whistle Thatch drew the sword hanging on the left side of his waist and rushed at Marco, who didn't seem very concerned.

"He's taking the offensive." Izou said. "He usually tries the defensive first, hoping to gain time."

Thatch started his attack with a diagonal slash aimed upwards from the left. Marco saw this coming and ducked as he side stepped around the other man. Thatch was quick to follow spinning to face him while delivering a horizontal strike. Marco countered with kick raising his leg and defending himself with his foot that was aided only by his strapped sandals. Ace's eyes widened as he saw how Marco was able to parry the sword without harming his foot, even with only sandals on. Even the sandals bore no damage from the intercepted attack. Marco kicked Thatch's sword back easily and quickly added another kick that connected with Thatch's chest.

"If you want to last longer than you did last time, you should stop fooling around." Marco advised with a smirk.

"Shut up." Thatch growled.

Thatch started to unleash a flurry of strikes as quickly as he could muster, foregoing breath as a means to accommodate more attacks at a quicker pace. Marco was able to avoid the attacks easily with his reflexes, but he couldn't launch any counter attacks until Thatch took a breath. But then Thatch's air ran out. Thatch gasped in a breath, hoping that his attacks would still be quick enough to stop Marco from fighting back, but he wasn't fast enough. As soon as he started to greedily inhale Marco retaliated. Marco used an upwards kick to force Thatch's sword to rise upwards. With Thatch no longer able to guard himself with his sword Marco exchanged his legs and delivered a perfect horizontal kick to Thatch's gut. Thatch was lifted off of his feet with the momentum and hit the deck in the center of the arena. He quickly rose to his feet and faced Marco again.

Now it was Marco's turn to be on the offensive and the crowd cheered as he quickly approached Thatch. Thatch raised his sword to defend himself. Thatch slashed diagonally from the right, trying to force Marco out of his range, but Marco saw it coming and deflected the attack just as he had done the first time. Only this time he didn't allow Thatch to strike again. Marco delivered a couple of whirlwind-like kicks that hit Thatch once in the shoulder and once in the hip. Thatch startled backwards a few steps before attacking again. He slashed vertically only to have Marco avoid it. He aimed another horizontal slash at the blond. Marco flipped over the blade easily dodging the blade. When he landed he swept Thatch's feet out from underneath him. Thatch hit the deck hard again.

"Three minutes fifty two seconds," Haruta commented.

Marco didn't allow Thatch to get up his time. He kicked Thatch off the deck and up into the air. Marco then used the mast of the Mody Dick to jump higher in the air above Thatch. He flipped and delivered a strong downwards kick that made Thatch collide with the deck once more. Ace and the others flinched at the sound of Thatch's impact on the deck.

"That had to hurt." Ace shuddered.

"I think it's time we finish this, yoi." Marco said as the time clock read four minutes and twenty seconds and he landed on the deck.

Thatch rose, with difficulty, to a stand again. Marco approached him, kicking him three times in the torso before disarming him with a kick to his wrist. The sword fell to the deck a few feet away. Thatch dashed away from Marco to try to recover his weapon. Marco had hoped he would do that. Marco ran and leapt to issue a flying kick with his dominant leg extended and his arms spread behind in as if they'd been in their wing form. The attack hit effectively and sent Thatch sailing across the deck before he hit a railing and tumbled backwards over it falling into the sea. As Thatch hit the ocean, Haruta stopped the stopwatch.

"Four minutes and forty six seconds," Haruta read.

"Better than last time," Juzo confirmed.

"Still not good enough," Izou said. "But what did he expect after riling Marco up earlier this morning."

"You fucking pineapple bastard," They heard Thatch yell from the ocean and went to look over the edge of the ship along with Marco. "You fucking ruined my hair!" He screamed as he treaded water.

"And you deserved it," Marco yelled back jovially as he lowered the rope ladder into the water for the angry man to climb back up.

Thatch climbed back up with his hair stuck to his face because of the water. "I hate you." He said to a chuckling Marco.

"You deserved it." Marco reiterated

"How," Thatch asked pouting with his arms crossed. "How did I deserve to have my perfect hair ruined by sea water? You know how much I hate the ocean."

"I also know that you can swim." Marco replied. "Plus, you deserved it for being a snitch and calling me a filth licker."

Thatch screamed in frustration as those around him burst into laughter. Ace's smile as he laughed was wide and sunny; it pulled Marco's attention towards the boy. He did look beautiful when he laughed, Marco decided. Thatch noticed the boy's smile as well, but it annoyed him more than anything else.

"Shut up!" Thatch yelled. "If I recall you were scheduled to fight Marco too."

"I'll last longer than you." Ace egged him on.

"Gurararara, what's this all about?" Whitebeard asked intrigued. "We're having our guest fight now?"

Thatch cleared his throat awkwardly before answering, "Well I thought it would only make sense to see how strong the boy is before we let him fight alongside us. We don't want to be having to carry his weight."

"Hey," Ace exclaimed, offended.

"Did you agree to this?" Whitebeard asked in a booming voice, although it wasn't certain if he was asking Ace or Marco the question.

"Yeah, I did." Ace affirmed and Marco nodded slowly behind him.

"Gurarararara, then I don't see why not." Whitebeard smiled. "Haruta will you be the timer again?"

"Of course," Haruta chirped.

"Then let's get started." Whitebeard announced. "Opponents go to your places."

Those who had left their spots when Thatch fell overboard hurried back to them. Excitement was palpable in the air. The crowd was tense to see the fight and to see a new fighter. Some of them hoped it would be quick and would teach the outsider how powerful the Whitebeard Army was. They hoped that if it was quick that the outsider would leave as soon as possible. Others worried about the outsider forcing Marco to use his powers and the consequences that could have. Still even more of them hoped the battle would be closer than the previous one. They could all use a little action now and then. Ace and Marco approached each other and shook hands.

"You're not going to throw me into the ocean too, are you?" Ace asked hesitantly.

"No," Marco chuckled. "But I'm not going to go easy on you either."

"If you did you'd be grossly underestimating me." Ace sneered.

"I'll remember that." Marco said.

They took three steps away from each other then turned to face each other. Marco could feel the excitement in the air. A shiver ran down his spine and he smiled. Ace felt butterflies flutter in his stomach in anticipation. Haruta blew the whistle and started the stopwatch.

At the sound, Ace summoned fire to his fingertips and shot small fire balls from them like bullets from a gun. The fire reached Marco quickly but he dodge rolled to avoid them and took off sprinting with Ace continuing to fire at him. Gasps and shouts emerged from the crowd. Marco wove through the flames swiftly. He couldn't get hit, not this early on, without being able to use his flames to heal himself. He felt the heat as the flames passed by him. Marco maneuvered through the barrage and reached Ace. He attacked with a series of kicks but the boy turned into flames and back-flipped out of reach. Marco smiled, _this kid has potential. _

Ace tipped his cowboy hat with two of his fingers that had turned into flames. He smirked confidently as he did so, and Marco returned the expression. Ace began manifesting flames around his other hand that was clenched into a fit before rushing at Marco. The boy's smirk turned into a smile as he got closer. He leveled the punch at Marco's stomach, but his movements were easily readable to someone who had fought in countless battles. Marco stepped to the side at the last second and tripped Ace with a kick to his ankles. Ace dispersed his flames and caught himself with both of his hands and rolled forward to avoid colliding with the deck in a painful manner.

Ace didn't stop for a second; he didn't want to give Marco the chance to counter. This time he coupled his fire ability with a series of horizontal kicks, but Marco avoided them by back stepping. He added one of his signature fire fists to the end of the routine but was surprised when Marco caught it. Ace's flames burned Marco's palm, but Marco's face was devoid of any pain. Still the blond reacted quickly, not allowing himself to take too much damage, else his flames would activate automatically. He could only stop his healing powers to a certain extent. He pulled Ace forward by his fist while side stepping around him and flipped Ace so that the wind was knocked out of his lungs when he hit the deck. Ace quickly got up while Marco shook off his injured hand while trying to ignore the urge to heal. Ace's eyes were wide when he realized that Marco had let himself be hurt, but he didn't have time to worry about it.

Marco delivered an upwards kick to Ace's jaw while the boy was still coming to grips with injuring him. Marco followed through with a punch to Ace's stomach that caused him to collide with the mast. "You'd be underestimating me as well, if you held back that is." Marco teased with lazy expression.

"I understand that." Ace groaned.

Ace called his fire that swirled around him defensively. He needed to shift forms if he was going to give Marco a run for his money and the stopwatch was only at three minutes and forty five seconds. Ace was determined to last longer than Thatch. He really wanted to be able to hold something over the man. Thankfully, his long coat that would shift with him into long fur should be able to hide the cursed area in his wolf form. With the fire hiding him from everyone and keeping Marco from attacking him; Ace shifted into his true form.

Ace leaped free of the flames and snapped his jaws at Marco, causing him retreat a few feet. The crowd gasped at the boy's new shape. In this form Ace was a good two feet taller than Marco. His black fur and glowing red eyes were intimidating to the crowd, most of whom were taking a few steps away from the arena. Marco was not intimidated at all though, but smirked up at Ace instead. Ace bore his teeth in a confident snarl.

"What big teeth you have, yoi," Marco jested.

Ace roared and swiped at Marco with his claws, but Marco ducked out of the way swiftly. Marco wasn't so lucky with the second attack of Ace's claws but thankfully he was far enough away to only receive shallow scratches. Marco retaliated with a forceful kick that made Ace slide back, even with his claws digging into the deck and leaving long trails in the wood. Ace coated his body in fire again and launched himself at Marco snapping at him and trying to bite into him. Marco jumped upwards to avoid the bite and then kicked Ace in the skull in return. Ace shook his head trying to clear his vision and let the fire around his body dissipate. This left Ace open for Marco to perform a kick combination on one Ace's sides. Ace's claws were pulled from the deck as he went skidding into the rail of the ship, but not going over.

The impact made Ace shift back into his human form. He stood up once more. He knew that he didn't have much fight left in him. He decided to finish with the most powerful move in his arsenal. Ace used one of his hands to send fireballs after Marco again while he raised his other and started summoning a massive amount of fire. Ace concentrated the fire he was summoning until he'd created a miniature sun. Many people in the audience saw what he was planning and fled the arena on the side that was across from Ace and behind Marco. Marco frowned as he saw the attack being formed. Ace smiled as he threw the miniature sun at him.

Marco had to think quickly. He couldn't let himself be hit by the attack, because he couldn't use his powers to repel it nor heal himself from it. The miniature sun was large, but it wasn't so large that he couldn't get over it. He just needed something that could get him high enough to jump over it. He needed to get to the mast. Marco made a run for that mast and made it there a few seconds before the miniature sun. Marco used his speed to run up the mast high enough to jump off of it and over the sun. He could feel the intense heat it gave off as he leaped over the attack.

When he landed Marco rushed Ace, who was surprised to see that Marco had been able to dodge his previous attack. Ace's eyes were wide when Marco appeared in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut as Marco delivered the first of two kicks. The first kick hit Ace's ribs and knocked the air out of him. Thinking Marco would deliver the second kick in the place as the first Ace guarded his ribs with his arms. But, he was wrong, the second kick hit his temple and Ace saw stars before his vision went completely black for a brief period of time.

His vision cleared and the first thing Ace saw was Marco's concerned frown. The first thing he felt was Marco's hand on his cheek. Ace could feel his face heat up again. "Wow," Ace groaned, "When you said you wouldn't go easy on me, you really meant it."

Marco smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," He whispered as he helped Ace to his feet. Within seconds the two were surrounded by the other commanders.

"Oh my god, Ace, that was amazing!" Izou exclaimed.

"Yeah, you even beat Teach's record!" Haruta clamored. "No one's ever been able to fight Marco for that long!"

"I have to say we underestimated you." Thatch admitted.

"I think you mean to say that you underestimated him, yoi," Marco corrected.

"Gurarararara," Whitebeard laughed. "That was very impressive."

"What was my time?" Ace asked excitedly.

"Seven minutes and fourteen seconds," Haruta informed.

The crowd started cheering loudly. Many of the commanders gave Ace congratulations and pats on the back. Ace grimaced as many of them hit his cursed shoulder. Marco seemed to notice that Ace was in pain. Ace tried to walk away from the commanders, but when he took the first step his vision went black again. He was about to fall back to the deck when Marco reached out and steadied him. Ace took a few deep breaths and his vision returned, but he felt very light-headed.

"Are you alright?" Marco whispered in his ear.

"I don't suppose that you'd be willing to let me feed off you again?" Ace joked.

Marco chuckled, "Maybe, but let's at least find out what's wrong first."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ace agreed as Marco put one of Ace's arms around his own shoulders and led Ace inside towards the infirmary.

Marco was supporting most of Ace's weight. Marco's proximity made it difficult for Ace to control the hunger growing in his stomach. Marco's scent was nearly intoxicating. Ace could feel his teeth come to points and his eyes start to burn, but he had to control himself. He really hoped Marco would let him feed again, because otherwise sharing a room with the man tonight was going to be torture.

…

_**Hey everyone. Thank you for your support and reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have trouble writing fight sequences. -LPC**_


	7. Chapter 6

Ace, even with Marco supporting his weight, felt very dizzy and nauseous. Ace wanted to lean into the other man, but with his teeth and eyes already preparing to feed, he couldn't risk getting to close and losing control. But damn he needed to feed. His throat was starting to burn with thirst. His body wanted him to feed and to heal himself. His side hurt every time he took a breath. He was pretty sure that he cracked at least one of his ribs.

"Just hang on, just a few more steps, yoi," Marco said as they approached the infirmary. The two entered the sterile and pure white room with rows of cots and were immediately approached by nurses.

"Looks like someone took things too serious in the rank competition." One male nurse chided. "Let's get him onto that cot."

Marco helped Ace lay down on the first available cot. Ace's breaths were heavy and painful and Marco reached over to wipe a sweat from his brow. When Ace turned to face him Marco saw his glowing red eyes and elongated teeth.

"You're hungry." Marco stated running his thumb over Ace's cheekbone.

"Well," Ace responded, "it doesn't help that you smell like a four course meal at a five star restaurant."

Marco chuckled. "How hard did I kick you?"

"Flirt later," One of the nurses advised, much to Marco's annoyance. "We need you to take off your coat so we can see your ribs." The nurse directed Ace.

Ace's face went a ghostly pale. _Shit, _Ace thought. He couldn't take off his jacket. If he did then Marco and the nurses would see the curse. He'd get thrown off the ship. He would drown and die, especially with his injuries and being a Fire Demon in the middle of the ocean. That is, if the Whitebeard Army didn't kill him first for trying to find the phoenix hidden among them; if there even was one.

"No," Ace objected shaking his head frantically causing Marco frown as he became concerned.

"Don't be a child!" The nurse berated. "We need you to take off the jacket."

The nurse and two of his co-workers surrounded the cot. Ace struggled as two nurses, one at each of his sides started to pin his arms down. Ace shook his arms and tried to get them to let go. He couldn't let them take off his coat. But, getting them to let go was easier said than done. His vision was clouding and his ribs seemed to pulse with pain. His breath was coming in pants as the nurses managed to hold down his arms.

"Stop!" Ace yelled, "Let me go. Stop it; please don't take off the coat." Ace turned to the only person he thought he could count on to help him. Ace's eyes were starting to tear up as he turned his face towards Marco. "Marco," he begged, "please make them stop. Please don't let them do this. Please, Marco, please, I'll do anything else. Please, Marco."

Something about the frantic nature of Ace's voice and the tearful look in his eyes hurt Marco. It made the dull ache in his chest he felt around the boy infinitely worse. He didn't like seeing Ace like this, he decided. He swiftly pushed one of the nurses at Ace's side to the ground and stood at Ace's side. He took one of Ace's hands in one of his and rested his other hand on Ace's cheek.

"Alright, alright," He repeated soothingly. "It's okay, just calm down." He caressed Ace's cheek to help him calm down. Marco then turned and glared at the nurses. "You'll do the exam without taking off his coat." He commanded in a no-nonsense tone.

"We need to take off the coat to see the injury." The male nurse argued. "You're being unreasonable. Marco, you're usually a level headed man. Think this through; it's normal procedure to actually see the injury."

Ace bit his lip, but Marco ran his thumb across his cheekbone to reassure him. Marco smirked confidently as he looked at the nurses with angry eyes. "If you can't even manage to diagnose someone without taking off their clothes then you're not very good at your job." He concluded.

The nurses looked stunned. They hadn't expected Marco to oppose them so strongly. One of the nurses glared at Ace and wondered why he had so much control over Marco. "Fine," The nurse spat. "You also need treatment and you've impeded us enough already. You can watch from a few cots down as we bandage you injuries and examine him."

"Marco," Ace whined. He didn't want the one person in the room who was on his side to leave him.

Marco leaned a little close and spoke softly to him. "It's okay Ace. They won't take off your coat. They won't hurt you. They just want to figure out how badly you're injured. I'll be only a few feet away."

Ace frowned, but nodded his acquiescence. "Good," the nurse proclaimed.

A nurse led Marco to another cot a few rows down. He was far enough so that he couldn't hear what was being said by the nurse anymore, but he could still see what was going on. Ace was uneasy without his protector at his side.

"Would you relax?" The nurse hissed. "We can't do anything you don't want with Marco watching so you can relax. Now sit up."

Ace did as he was told. His head spun as he sat upright. The burn in his throat intensified. He hoped that Marco, after finding out what was wrong with him, would let him feed. He needed it badly. At least Marco was far enough away so that Ace could smell his enticing smell anymore.

"Does your head hurt, or are you just dizzy?" The nurse asked.

"It hurts but not too badly, just aches." Ace replied quietly.

"Do you have any nausea?"

"Yeah," Ace admitted.

"Any trouble staying conscious," The nurse asked.

"Only when I move," Ace responded.

"Alright," the nursed nodded, "I'm going to push on your ribs gently. I need you to tell me when it hurts." Ace nodded and the nurse started to press on Ace's ribcage slowly. "What are you hiding?" The nurse asked suddenly.

"I," Ace broke off.

"You're hiding something and you're manipulating Marco." The nurse seethed.

"I don't, I didn't mean to, I just," Ace stammered.

"I don't care about your excuses." The nurse quipped. "Just know that if you do anything to hurt him everyone in this family will track you down. Marco's the strongest of us, but for some reason he's protecting you and letting you in. He's never done that before, so don't fuck it up." The nurse threatened.

Ace frowned guiltily until the nurse pressed on the rib that must have been hurt, based on the pain Ace experienced when the nurse pressed on it. "Fuck," Ace cursed.

"I'll take that as that hurts." The nurse noted.

Marco came up to the two having had his hand and foot bandaged and the burns treated. "So, what's wrong?" He inquired.

"Well," The nurse sighed. "He has a mild concussion and two cracked ribs. I would normally say that he should be on bed rest until he recovers and maybe some medicine to reduce swelling, but he's a Dip. The best thing for him to do would be to feed. But, we don't have any blood to spare since we'll need our current stock if people get injured in the upcoming fight. We could ask some of the crew for donations."

"That won't be necessary." Macro stated. "I inflicted the wounds so I should help heal them. He'll feed from me."

The nurse frowned. "He's already fed from you once, correct? It's dangerous for demons to feed from the same demon multiple times. It could make you two bonded mates." The nurse informed.

"I'm aware, but it's highly unlikely for that to happen the second time. Also, you can stop and prevent the bond from forming when it starts, so there's no need for concern." Marco reasoned.

"I'm just saying to be careful." The nurse defended.

Marco nodded and walked up to Ace. "Let's head back to the room and get you healed."

"Okay," Ace nodded feeling slightly guilty.

Marco had to help support Ace's weight again as they traveled back to their room. They passed no one in the halls. They must have all still been at the rank competition. Ace's mind focused on what the nurse warned them about. It was true that if Ace continued to feed from Marco that they might become mates. Ace didn't think that he ever want that. His father and mother had been mates; that was part of why his mother's health declined to the point that she died giving birth to him.

When two demons became mates it became impossible for them to feed off of anyone besides that mate. Usually when one mate died the other could feed off of other people again to survive, but Ace's mother had been so heartbroken that she'd stopped feeding altogether. When she got sick during pregnancy and refused to feed, she signed her own death certificate. Being bonded mates for demons of the same sex also allowed those demons to produce offspring. Ace never wanted to be bonded to anyone. He didn't want a mate. If he had a mate then that would make him the same as his father, especially if he ended up dying before them, as he was likely to with the curse already claiming part of him.

Marco hadn't given much thought to becoming anyone's mate. He knew that he'd probably want children, especially if he didn't want to be the last phoenix to ever live. A family interested him greatly. He would love to have children and someone to share his life with, but he wasn't going to seek a mate out. If someone was supposed to become his mate, he figured that they'd run into each other eventually.

Much to Ace's relief they reached the bedroom and Marco opened the door and lead him inside to the bed before going back to close it. Marco then sat next to him and held him close. He leaned Ace into his shoulder near his neck where his pulse was located.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" Ace asked as he pressed his lips to Marco's skin. He restrained himself from feeding until Marco replied.

Marco chuckled. "If I wasn't sure I wouldn't be offering."

"Good," Ace smiled.

Marco held onto him steadying him as he sunk his teeth into Marco's flesh as gently as possible. Ace moaned at the euphoric, but familiar taste. He felt Marco sigh next to him; it was a tired and relaxed sound. Ace knew that chemicals were pouring into Marco's system as blood seeping into his lips. Marco was beginning to become more relaxed, but he seemed to have more control than Thatch did, based on the absence of moans. To Ace there was nothing else in the room besides him and Marco. He could feel Marco's heartbeat and his breathing. All he could smell was Marco's scent and all he could taste was his blood.

Marco's hand rose to card through Ace's ebony locks. Ace's strength was starting to return. He used it to gingerly push Marco back until he was lying in the bed. The hand in Ace's hair stayed where it was as the other came to rest on his chest. Marco didn't push him away, but he didn't pull Ace closer either. Ace moved his hand to cover the one Marco had pressed against his chest. That's when he felt the bandages that covered it. They reminded him that he wasn't the only one hurt. He was taking more than what he needed and Marco was letting him; trusting him to stop. But, his injuries were healed and he was still feeding. Ace squeezed Marco's hand and released Marco's neck. He ran his tongue over the puncture marks and let his saliva completely close the wound. On an impulse he kissed the spot where he had fed from before sitting up on the bed and looking down at Marco.

Marco's eyes were half lidded and shadows were forming under his eyes. The feeding had taken a little bit of a toll on him. Ace frowned sadly and took Marco's bandaged hand in both of his. He touched and turned it carefully. Marco looked at him with curiosity and concern. Ace sighed.

"I wish I could heal you too." He whispered.

Marco tousled his hair gently. "It'll be healed in a couple days. You don't need to worry about me." Marco sat up to have his vision swim for a second before clearing.

"I took too much." Ace said with a guilt-ridden expression.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Marco assured. He could smell the food being prepared not far away. He stretched and suggested. "How about we head to the mess hall? I can smell dinner."

"Ok," Ace said, feeling a little better when Marco got up easily from the bed without any signs of light-headedness.

…

Dinner had been an interesting affair. Most people were celebrating the rank competition's results or getting drunk in disappointment. Ace received many complements and pants on the back for his performance. But, some people were not as happy about his results. For one he received many glares from the staff of the infirmary and some of the crew that had heard about Marco allowing Ace to feed from him. Thatch and Izou didn't seem pleased about the revelation either but they hid it under layers of teasing.

Both Ace and Marco had been glad to quickly excuse themselves after they'd finished their meals. As soon as he entered the room Marco had thrown off his jacket and crawled under the covers. Ace could tell that the other was beyond exhausted. He'd been lethargic at dinner, not as lethargic as Ace who had fallen asleep a couple times, but lethargic none the less.

Ace decided to take a shower before sleeping, but he still turned off the light to allow the other man to sleep. Ace entered the bathroom and turned on the shower before painfully removing his clothes. He gasped when he caught a glimpse of his bare skin in the mirror. The curse had grown. Among all its edges the curse had progressed, not by much, roughly a half of an inch, but enough to notice.

"Fuck," Ace cursed with a grimace on his face.

The curse was moving fast. Ace had hoped that his time left would be on the longer side of Law's predicted timeframe. Ace could guess that by the way it had progressed in just a day that he would only have two to three months left at the most. Ace tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, but his looming demise sent shivers down his spine. If he wanted to live then he would need to find the phoenix soon. Ace shook off his troubling thoughts and quickly showered. He was rougher on the cursed skin then he should have been and he had to wait for it to stop bleeding to put his clothes back on. It was painful, extremely so, but he didn't care at the moment. He didn't want to die, especially away from the people he cared about. He didn't want to leave everyone behind without saying goodbye. He didn't want to leave them behind at all; especially not Luffy.

He finished getting dressed and exited the bathroom as quickly as possible. He stepped into the bedroom and didn't pause. He knew that he didn't want to sleep alone tonight, not even to save his pride. He crawled silently into the bed next to Marco.

"I thought you said you were never going to share a bed with me ever again." Marco said with a soft smile as he turned to face Ace. He then noticed the solemn expression on Ace's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ace lied, "just worried."

"About your brother," Marco guessed.

"Yeah," Ace admitted, although not mentioning that he was worried about Luffy and not Sabo.

Marco reached out and pulled Ace closer, wrapping him in his arms. He kissed Ace's forehead before rubbing his back and comforting him silently. Ace buried his face in Marco's shoulder, not having to worry about the scent since he'd just fed. The cursed areas of Ace's skin hurt at the contact, but it didn't matter for Ace. He needed to held. He needed to know that someone, anyone was there with him. He needed to know that at least one person would notice if he died. Marco set his chin on the top of Ace's head and lulled the boy to sleep. When Ace's breaths became deep and even Marco was quick to fall into sleep as well, still holding Ace's firmly in his arms.

…

_**Ok this is short but I was tired and this was a good stopping point. It has been brought to my attention that my grammar and spelling might be holding back this story a bit. So, I'd like to ask if anyone would like to beta is fic from this point onward as well as probably Collars Come Loose whenever I get back to it(hopefully soon). Thank you for all of the reviews. I've been having a lot of fun writing this. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**-LPC **_


	8. Chapter 7

He'd been in pain. He'd been dying. His air supply had run out as he and his brother were being pulled deeper and deeper into the depths of the sea. His lungs burned for air and his vision was growing dark. He gave in. He needed to inhale; his body was screaming for him to do so. When he did inhale it only brought him more pain, because all he inhaled was salt water. It hurt. He couldn't breathe. His body tried to cough up the water, but it only coughed it up to intake more of the liquid. He was drowning and dying. It hurt and he didn't understand. What had he done wrong, was the question in the child's mind. What did he do to deserve to die? All he felt was pain and then he felt nothing at all.

He couldn't feel the water. He couldn't feel the pain. He couldn't feel his body. His own heartbeat and breaths, they were out of reach to him. It was just darkness and nothingness. He didn't know if he should be happy that the pain was gone or be sad. No pain also meant no life. He had died. He was sure of it. He didn't feel but he heard.

"Breathe," the voice yelled frantically. "Please just breathe, don't die on me Marco." It was his brother and his best friend. He was screaming and out of breath. "Please Marco, breathe, and don't leave me behind. Marco," His name was yelled as loudly as his brother's vocal cords could handle.

Marco shot upright in bed and into wakefulness. He quickly realized that he wasn't dead or dying and took deep breaths to persuade his body to agree with his mind. It was raining outside. The droplets hit the pane of the window in a rhythm that only the sky knew. Marco hated rain. It had rained the day his brother and he had nearly drowned, well to be honest Marco had drowned. He hated rain. It stifled his nature and reminded him of things he'd rather forget than remember.

Strangely enough, Ace was still dead asleep beside him. It had been a couple days since the rank competition and the other had continued to share a bed with him. He apparently didn't notice his bed mate's abrupt awakening. Marco couldn't help but smile. At least his tumultuous sleep hadn't disturbed the other. Marco, thankfully, was able to remove himself from the bed without ending up on the floor.

Based on the color of the sky outside, it was still in the small hours of the morning. Marco was thankful, that meant that no one else was up yet. He could shower and get started on reports well before breakfast. Then when everyone started asking him to spend time with them he could say he had reports to edit.

The crew was his family and as such they acted like his family. They noticed that rain made him reflective, which is why every time it rained many of his siblings would try to distract him. They would try to get him to help on projects, or recruit him to play pranks, or played pranks on him, but it never helped. For the most part, he didn't hate rainy days because of the memories they brought to mind, but rather because everyone was walking on eggshells around him and treating him differently than normal. He could deal with the memories. He couldn't deal with his family worrying about him. So, he avoided them on rainy days. It was cowardly and Marco hated it, but being around everyone as they tried to make him feel better was much worse.

…

Ace woke up to the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the window and looked over to see Marco positioned at his desk. Marco seemed engrossed in the stack of documents on the desk. He wore reading glasses and held a red pen in his hand. It reminded Ace of the picture he'd seen in the bathroom the first day he spent aboard the ship.

Ace stretched and inquired, "What time is it?"

Marco chuckled, "It's almost ten."

"No," Ace exclaimed, "That means all the food is gone! I missed breakfast. Why didn't you wake me?"

Marco snickered, "That's why I secured food for you." He pointed to a heaping plate of food that he'd set on the window seat.

"Oh my god," Ace gushed, "Marco, you're the best."

Marco's lips tipped upwards for a second before returning to neutral as he continued to work. Ace sprang from the bed and hurried to the window seat. He nearly dove into his food. Marco had done a good job in selecting a variety of foods. There was meat, bacon, eggs, a bagel with cream cheese, and a doughnut with chocolate icing and sprinkles. Ace's mouth was watering just looking at the assortment, but it would be a shame to waste time just looking at the food. Ace started to stuff his face when the door to the hallway opened.

"Marco," Thatch greeted jovially. "I got an awesome idea and I need your help. You see Izou just got this new kimono and we're going to," Thatch started to explain.

Marco gave Thatch an annoyed expression. "I'm going over reports today. I don't have time to make Izou miserable by ruining his new favorite outfit."

"It would only be ruined temporarily." Thatch offered. "Come on, Marco. Reports are so boring."

"Well, I wouldn't have to edit them if you didn't wait until the last second and then have a million mistakes I have to correct because of the rush." Marco replied and Ace snorted.

"Brat," Thatch huffed. "Don't you think the day would be much better spent causing havoc than correcting grammatical and mathematical errors? Plus, Izou is so funny when he's mad. His voice goes up like three octaves."

"That does sound funny." Ace laughed.

"See, Marco, the kid agrees with me." Thatch argued.

"Then he can help you play the prank." Marco suggested. "I have reports to edit."

Thatch looked over at Ace and saw he was asleep in his eggs. "Yeah, he's going to be a huge help."

Marco glanced over at the sleeping figure and smirked. "You know he usually only falls asleep when he's eating."

Thatch sighed. "Never mind, you can just continue being bored to death. I'll play the prank by myself." Thatch huffed and left the room closing the door harshly behind him.

"Huh," Ace asked when he woke up at the sound of the door. "Where did Thatch go?"

"He left, most likely to go ruin Izou's new kimono." Marco responded.

"Are you really going to sit here and fix reports all day?" Ace inquired. "That sounds really boring."

"That is the plan, and yes, it's very boring." Marco answered. "But, someone has to do it and I'm the first commander. It's my job." Marco saw Ace pout out of the corner of his eye. "Just because I will be here all day, doesn't mean that you have to be. You should get to know some of the other crew members besides me."

"Are you annoyed that I spend a lot of time with you?" Ace asked as he worried.

"No." Marco answered without hesitation. "I just figured that you'd rather be doing something more entertaining than watching me fix reports."

Ace nodded. "I guess I would, but it's raining outside. What could be entertaining to do on a day like this?"

Marco shrugged. "I'm sure someone has an interesting idea."

…

No one had any interesting ideas. In the end, Ace ended up playing poker in the mess hall with Thatch, Izou, Jozu, Vista, and Haruta. It was not going well and not just because Ace's cards were worse than the smell of a dead skunk. Ace sighed; it seemed to him that everyone was on edge today. Haruta was destroying everyone, yet was still frowning and seemed to be in a bad mood. No one tried to make conversation and no one smiled. It was beyond creepy and beyond suspicious.

"So," Ace wondered, "do any of you want to tell me why everyone is in a foul mood today?" Ace received depressed expressions from most of the other players and a glare from Thatch.

"No," Thatch replied simply.

"Why not," Ace asked.

"There are some things that people just don't want to talk about." Izou answered.

"And those things make everyone gloomy on rainy days?" Ace continued. "I mean rain sucks, but usually not enough to make everyone tense like you guys are."

"Just leave it alone Ace, you'll live longer." Vista suggested.

"But I really want to know," Ace whined.

"For fuck's sake," Thatch cursed, "I'll never understand how you have Marco wrapped around your finger when you never stop whining."

"I don't whine," Ace pouted, "And he basically kicked me out of the room today, so he's not wrapped around my finger either."

"Don't feel bad, Marco just likes to be alone on rainy days." Haruta said earning a glare from Thatch. "I mean," Haruta corrected, "he's not wrapped around your finger at all."

"Wait," Ace sat forward, "why does Marco like to alone on rainy days? Did something happen?"

"Some things are better left unsaid, Ace." Jozu stated.

"What happened?" Ace questioned. "It had to have been on a rainy day, right. It's not fair if you guys don't tell me."

"It's none of your business, Ace." Izou warned.

"Fine," Ace huffed. "I'll find someone else who will tell me." With that announcement Ace placed his cards face down on the table and left.

"Sorry, I said too much." Haruta apologized.

"It's fine," Izou shrugged. "No one on this ship is going to tell him what happened."

"Let's hope not." Thatch sighed. "I swear that kid is going to be the death of me or Marco."

"Most likely Marco," Vista agreed.

…

Ace was getting annoyed. He'd asked everyone he'd ran into about Marco, but none of them had given him any information. Apparently the Whitebeard Army had very few loose lips. He was about to admit defeat when he saw Marshall D. Teach coming down the hallway. He decided that he would ask just one more person.

"Hey, Teach," Ace called out to the man.

"Ace, how are you doing on this lovely rainy day?" Teach asked.

"Fine, I guess." Ace replied. "It just seems like everyone's in a bad mood today. Even Marco was gloomy. I asked why, but no one will answer me."

Teach laughed strangely before replying. "I guess everyone doesn't trust you quite yet."

"So, you won't tell me why either." Ace guessed.

"I didn't say that." Teach replied.

"Really, you're going to tell me?" Ace asked excitedly.

"I don't see why not," Teach shrugged with a conniving expression. "Have you heard the tale of Whitebeard and the last two phoenixes?"

"No," Ace shook his head.

"It was a rainy day like this one when Whitebeard arrived off the shore of the Fire Nation." Teach began. "He'd been dispatched to escort the remaining phoenixes to safety in the refuge of the Earth Nation. The rain and storms made sailing hard and kept Whitebeard from arriving before Akainu forced the phoenixes to the edge of the sea. It's said that the crew serving under Whitebeard at the time found the dead bodies of the phoenixes that had been drowned floating on the waves. It was a haunting sight. Given, I wasn't in the crew at the time, some of the commanders and crewmembers were though. Apparently the adult phoenixes had tried to fight back and defend the children. Akainu drowned the adults first, since they'd fought back. By the time Whitebeard made it through the harsh seas there were only two phoenixes left. They were children."

"And Akainu still drowned them?" Ace asked.

"Of course," Teach asserted, "Akainu wanted to make an example of them. He couldn't leave any of the phoenixes alive. Anyway, Whitebeard arrived to one phoenix left flying in the sky. All the other phoenixes had died."

"I thought you said there were two children left?" Ace questioned.

"Yes," Teach assured, "but only one phoenix left flying. The other had been only a couple years old and hadn't awakened yet. He had no powers while the other was a teenager and had awakened into his powers. The younger of the two was riding on the older. But when the dragons attacked the teenager, the child fell into the sea. The teenager tried to catch the child, but was attacked by Akainu and ended up in the sea as well. The other dragons held off Whitebeard until Akainu was sure the two children had drowned."

"That's terrible." Ace commented.

"It makes you wish that the curse had killed more than just forty percent of the Fire Nation." Teach added making Ace's eyes go wide. "Oh well, according to predictions it will only take a few hundred more years for the curse to kill every Fire Nation demon alive."

"So neither of the children survived," Ace wondered. "They were killed too."

Teach smiled devilishly. "That depends on what story you believe."

"What do you mean?"

"According to a few people, one phoenix still exists." Teach told Ace. "Some say that Whitebeard found the two children still clinging to each other in the water soon after Akainu left. Some rumors say that the younger of the two was able to be saved. He had to be resuscitated. He was said to have the skin that had turned blue from lack of oxygen, but they still tried to bring him back."

"So the younger one lived?" Ace asked in amazement.

"I don't know for sure." Teach lied surreptitiously. "But by the looks of the crew members on days that it rains, they're in mourning. I just don't know if they're morning one or two children."

"So, Marco and everyone else are mourning the last phoenixes; the people they couldn't save." Ace suggested.

"I'd assume so," Teach nodded disingenuously, "but I wasn't a member of the crew back then."

"I understand why everyone hates rain." Ace sighed, "But Marco seems different than everyone else. Thatch, I think, was trying to cheer him up and Haruta said that Marco likes to be alone on rainy days."

"Marco has had a bad experience with the ocean himself." Teach mislead Ace slightly; "He also once drowned. I guess remembering the day two children died of something he almost did is worse than it is for people who haven't experienced drowning first hand."

Ace sighed and seemed to pout. "Has everyone tried to cheer him up?"

"At some time or another," Teach shrugged, "I've been here for a while and as far as I know everyone takes turns trying to get Marco out of his room and away from the reports. No one's succeeded yet. I've heard that some of the commanders even started a pool on who could get Marco to laugh on a rainy day. Each time one of them fails they have to add a few beli to the pool. Oh, and chuckles don't count."

"Hmm," Ace hummed, "I bet I could get him to laugh."

"Is that so?" Teach laughed.

"Yes," Ace announced, "and I know how I'm going to do it too."

With that Ace took off down the hallway. He knew what he needed which was; a handful of food dyes, two tubs of liquid detergent, and at least seven pairs of flip-flops. Of course many people would think he was insane if they knew what his plan was, but he wasn't telling anyone until he got Marco onto the deck of the Moby Dick.

…

Marco was staring at Thatch's expense repot, but he had been for the last hour and a half. He was really starting to wonder if his brother could even count let alone add. The report made no sense at all. Marco knew he was going to have to basically interrogate Thatch to get him to fix it. Suddenly, Ace burst into the room, out of breath.

"Marco," He smiled, "Come with me. I have something I have to show you!"

"I'd like to, but Thatch's forth division expense report needs to be completely rewritten." Marco replied, not even looking up from the report.

"Ugh," Ace groaned in frustration and ran forward to grab Marco's sleeve and forcefully drag him from his seat. "Just come on."

"Wait, yoi," Marco said trying to organize the papers on the desk while Ace used his full strength to pry Marco away from them. "Ace wait; I need to finish this."

"Marco the papers aren't going to grow wings and fly away." Ace argued. "Stop struggling and come with me."

"I don't want to." Marco stated blankly.

"I can't believe it!" Ace exclaimed. "The big bad first division commander in Whitebeard's Army is afraid of rain."

"I am not!" Marco snapped.

"Oh," Ace gaped, "Then why don't we take a trip outside?" Ace said dragging an unwilling Marco out of the bedroom.

"Because it's wet and we'll get sick." Marco listed. "Oh, and I don't want to."

"Come on, what do I have to do to get you to come with me?" Ace asked.

"There is nothing you can do that would make me go outside willingly." Marco growled.

Ace thought. He thought for a good two minutes all while holding onto Marco who was still trying to crawl his way back to the bedroom. Ace thought about what he knew about Marco. It wasn't much. He had awesome eyebrows and weird hair, but those facts wouldn't help him any. Ace decided to try attributes that weren't physical. He was smart and strong, but those facts didn't help Ace either. An idea came to Ace then. He remembered when Marco ran his thumb over his cheekbone when he was afraid at the infirmary. He remembered when Marco had kissed his forehead and held him to put him to sleep. He remembered the second time he'd fed from him and that Marco wouldn't let him closer, but also didn't push him away. Marco was affectionate, at least with Ace he was. Ace could use affectionate.

Ace leaned in very close to Marco's ear a whispered huskily. "What if, in exchange for you going outside, I offered you a kiss? I mean a real kiss, not on the neck or the forehead, on the lips."

Marco glared at Ace, although not effectively. "I'm not desperate. I cannot be bribed with a kiss."

Ace smirked, "I didn't say you were. I asked if you would go outside in exchange for a kiss. I think it's fair. You do something unpleasant and get something pleasant in return."

"No," Marco replied after brief hesitation turning back towards the bedroom.

Ace wanted to scream in anger. "Please Marco," he nearly begged, "I'll do anything."

"Anything," Marco asks suspiciously while stopping his progression back towards the bedroom.

"Anything," Ace nodded.

"One question," Marco stated lazily.

"Huh," Ace inquired tilting his head in confusion.

"I'll go outside if you answer one of my choosing." Marco offered. "And, you have to answer it honestly."

Ace contemplated this. It would be dangerous to agree. Marco could ask if he was cursed and then he'd have to tell him he was. He could ask him why he wouldn't take off his coat and that would lead to a similar result. That would not be a good thing. On the other hand, Ace didn't think Marco would ask him about that. Marco didn't seem like he cared about Ace's constant adornment of his long jacket. Ace decided he would have to take the risk and hope that things turned out for the best.

"You have a deal." Ace affirmed.

…

It was only a few minutes later that, out of the corners of their eyes, Thatch and those he was playing poker with saw a jubilant Ace drag a slightly reluctant Marco past the mess hall door and towards the deck. Thatch and the others frowned. What were they doing? How had Ace gotten Marco out of the bedroom? Thatch exchanged a confused look with Izou, who merely shrugged. Thatch got up from his seat and started to follow Ace and Marco sneakily.

Ace paused at the door leading to the deck and instructed Marco. "Take off your shoes and put on a pair of flip-flops." He pointed to the row of flip-flops that Ace had lined up by the door.

"I would ask why, but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for myself." Marco chuckled.

Ace just smiled as he took of his boots and started to put on a pair of red flip-flops. Marco did the same with his fancy sandals and chose a pair of blue flip-flops. Thatch around the corner frowned. What could possibly involve making Marco change his shoes? Ace opened the door to the deck and stepped outside. Marco paused and frowned at the rain as if it had offended him directly. Ace rolled his eyes and took both of Marco's hands.

"It's just rain." Ace reminded.

Marco nodded and took a step onto the deck. He immediately felt the drops of rain hit him and bristled in discomfort. Ace couldn't help but laugh at his expression. Something about Marco's expression was cute. He led Marco ahead a few more steps and watch the man start to slip, but catch his balance again. Marco frowned and Ace giggled.

"What did you do?" Marco asked.

"Not much," Ace replied, "I just made the deck a little slippery."

"Why," Marco asked.

Ace shrugged but explained, "Everyone's upset today. Even you don't want to go out of your bedroom. Everyone hates the rain, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Rain can be fun."

"I doubt that." Marco said while rolling his eyes.

"Oh really," Ace baited, "then watch this."

Marco raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Ace let go of his hands. Ace took off and sprinted a few steps. It was difficult because of the slick nature of the deck. The flip-flops made it more difficult since running in a pair of them was hard without a slippery floor, but that's why Ace chose them. Once he built up speed he stopped running and let the momentum he'd built up and the low friction on the floor to allow him to slide the rest of the way across the deck until he collided with the railing. Ace was proud that he had been able to stay upright and not fall over. Marco smirked as he looked at Ace's proud and expectant face.

"You pulled me forcibly from my work so that we could play in the rain?" Marco questioned with amusement.

"Pretty much," Ace admitted. "Why? Are you afraid you might fall and get wet?"

"No," Marco scoffed.

Marco took off running the same way Ace had. But, unlike Ace he ran towards the mast, but started sliding decently before it. He then shifted his weight to turn while sliding around the mast. He continued to slide until he arrived besides Ace on the railing of the ship. Ace pouted. He had really hoped that he would be better than Marco at this. Marco was smiling though. It wasn't a big smile, but it was small and bright. Ace's heart felt light. It was a strange feeling, but when Marco smiled his heart would jump just a little. He liked the smile a lot more than he liked the Marco he'd seen this morning with a bland expression staring at reports. This Marco was much better. Ace smiled as well.

"What are you two doing standing in the rain and smiling like idiots?" Thatch asked as he walked out onto the deck.

Then an amazing thing happened. Thatch's foot hit the slippery wood of the deck and was pulled out from underneath him. Thatch was unable to find his balance after the slip, unlike Marco, and fell harshly onto the slick surface of the deck. That however wasn't what was funny. What was funny was that Thatch had managed to fall onto one of the packets of food dye that Ace had littered around the deck. It was purple and when Thatch fell on it, the dye splattered onto his nice white outfit, dyeing it a light violet.

Thatch was about to get up and rage angrily at Ace for making the deck a giant and colorful version of a slip-n-slide when a sound reached everyone's ears. Ace felt a hand on his shoulder and turned towards the source of the sound. The sound was bright and beautiful, but husky at the same time. It sent shivers, which had nothing to do with the rain, down Ace's spine. A light blush coated his face as well as he faced Marco. He was nearly doubled over in laughter and was using Ace's shoulder for support.

"Sorry, sorry," Marco apologized while trying to hold back the laughs.

Thatch began to pout, but the others behind him wasted no time. They each quickly took off their shoes and put on a pair of flip-flops. They raced onto the deck that had been made into a playground of colors. Most of them managed to keep balance but a couple of them didn't. Thus, the commanders that had been playing poker started to play instead a colorful version of bumper cars. Many tried to slide into each other and color the others outfits in food dye.

Whitebeard looked out the window of his room at his children playing in the rain and laughed. He was amused that even his most serious child had been lured by the new guest to play like a child would. Ace had an effect on Marco, and it was easy for Whitebeard to see that Marco also had an effect on Ace. It wasn't obvious, but it was there. Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh. Yes, he thought, Ace would be good for Marco and maybe not just him, but for the whole crew. Ace was suspicious, but he was also kind and playful. Whitebeard decided that Ace would make a good addition to his family. Now all he had to do was convince the boy to stay.

…

It was late at night when Marco decided to ask his question. They had both showered and were just lying in bed when Marco asked. The question made Ace's eyes go wide and Ace's skin become pale. Marco just looked at him with keen, curious, and kind eyes.

"Is your father Gol D. Roger?" Marco inquired quietly.

Ace frowned. He looked away. He couldn't meet Marco's eyes. He didn't want to see the look in his eyes. He didn't want to see the hatred and disgust in his eyes when he knew the truth. He couldn't lie. He wasn't one to go back on a deal, but still he really hated it. He wondered if Marco would let him keep traveling with them once Marco knew the truth. He hoped so. He was coming to enjoy traveling with the strange group of people know as the Whitebeard Army.

Ace swallowed thickly and sighed. "Yes," he admitted in a small voice. Ace held back the tears that were forming behind his eyes. He was sure that Marco was going to say something hateful and he wished that he didn't have to hear it. He kept his eyes focused on nothing even when Marco reached forward and gingerly pushed his hair out of his face. Marco just ran his thumb over Ace's cheekbone just as he'd done before.

"It doesn't matter." Marco whispered reassuringly. "No matter whose blood is in your veins, you are still you. You are kind, and strong, and funny; you're perfect. I still think the same of you that I did a few minutes ago."

"Why don't you hate me?" Ace asked. "Why would you ask if it doesn't matter?"

"I figured that it's hard to have a secret that you can't tell to anyone without worrying that they would hate you." Marco reasoned. "I wanted to be the person you could tell, because I don't think I'm capable of hating you."

Ace pulled himself close to Marco and was quickly wrapped in his embrace. Ace cuddled into Marco's neck and Marco nuzzled into his hair. Marco rubbed Ace's back soothingly. He felt slight guilt. He'd made Ace reveal a major secret about himself, but didn't reveal his secret in exchange. Marco knew that if Ace stayed long enough he'd eventually tell him who and what he was, but now didn't feel like the right time. He wanted to be sure about how he felt about Ace. And, to some level, he wanted to be sure of what Ace felt about him.

"Are you going to tell anyone?" Ace asked in worry.

"No," Marco replied. "If you don't want anyone else to know then they don't need to."

Ace nodded into Marco's shoulder and started to relax. Marco had accepted him. It was even possible that Marco had suspected Roger was his father when they'd first met. The man still had let him stay regardless of that. He didn't blame him, didn't hate him, and didn't reject him. Marco held him and Ace felt safe and loved. They were feelings that he hadn't been familiar with very often in his lifetime. For a brief moment, Ace wondered if Marco loved him or if he could once he knew everything. And he found that he wanted Marco to love him. It wasn't a strong want that he was going to pursue. It was a wish. It was a small, seemingly insignificant, wish but it fluttered in his chest.

…

_**I don't really have much to say. This is going very well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **_

_**-LPC**_


	9. Chapter 8

Ace stood in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection in horror. It had been another week and a half and the curse had progressed greatly. The curse trailed half way down his forearm and was reaching across half of his chest and back. Then the curse extended a few inches down his thigh. It was moving fast, and faster than Law had predicted. Ace was starting to wonder if he shouldn't just go back to the Air Nation. He didn't think that he could find the phoenix before the curse took his life. The cold feeling of dread sunk into Ace's chest. He'd rather die surrounded by people who loved him than on a ship with people he was just getting to know. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and heard a knock on the door and Marco's voice. Ace started to put his coat back on.

"We're meeting in a few minutes." Marco said through the door. "If you'd like to come with me we'll discuss what to do in the upcoming battle. Oyaji wants you there since you're a strong fighter."

"Alright," Ace replied stepping out of the bathroom with the curse now hidden. "I'm ready."

"Are you feeling alright, yoi?" Marco asked. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Ace lied.

Marco could tell that Ace was lying, but he let it slide this time. The ship was ripe with anticipation. They were set to arrive at the battlefront early tomorrow morning. The crew was alive with excitement for seeing their comrades again and itching for a fight. People were polishing their weapons and getting ready for the battle. Ace was nervous. Meeting more of Whitebeard's allies meant that he would have more people to hide the curse from. He did, however, take comfort in the fact that his other secret, that of his birth, was known by at least one person. Marco knew who he was and didn't care. Maybe he could tell Marco about the curse and Marco would help him find the phoenix, but he couldn't be sure. Marco had trusted Ace. If he knew Ace had lied about his reason for travelling with them, would he still help him? Ace shook his head to clear it as they reached the meeting room.

The two entered the meeting room and a ruckus of sounds reached their ears. The commanders were gathered in small groups around the table and Whitebeard sat at its head. He smiled as he saw his oldest son and his new choice for a son enter the room. He'd told no one of his intention to bring Ace into the family, but he reckoned that Marco had most likely already figured out his plan. He just wanted to wait until after the fight to announce it. He was sure that those who had yet to warm up to Ace would after they fought alongside him.

"Let's begin," Whitebeard said, prompting his children to take their seats around the table. Ace awkwardly took the seat next to Marco at the other end of the table. "We'll be arriving on the battlefront at roughly six in the morning tomorrow. We've gathered here to discuss the battle plans for the fight against Moria and his army of zombies from the Dark Nation. We've estimated that we'll arrive a day before Moria and his ilk. We need to have a plan ready when we meet Squardo and our allies tomorrow."

Whitebeard nodded to Marco and the blond stood and spoke. "Haruta's division has compiled information on the enemy. Thanks to that we know that Moria and his army of Undead are weak to salt. Thatch and his division have been preparing salt and bathing everyone's weapons in salt water. Moria will be unaware that we've prepared to exploit his weakness, but we need to be prepared for him to counter to this possibility swiftly. We've contacted our ally in the Water Nation; Jimbe. It will take him a few days to arrive. We need to be prepared to drive the Dark Nations forces back without his help.

"Moria also has a few notable followers." Marco continued. "Dr. Hogback is the man who creates and maintains the bodies for the undead to inhabit. He seems to have no significant powers although he is a vampire. Jozu, you and your division will be tasked finding and defeating him on the battlefield. With your ability to turn into diamond you should be able to handle him." Jozu nodded in response. "Perona, another of Moria's allies, is a negativity witch. Haruta, Izou, and Fossa; you'll be tasked with defeating her. You must avoid her ghosts at any costs. Atmos, Jiru, and Kingdew; you will be tasked with taking out Absalom. He's a beast man and is able to turn himself invisible."

Marco paused. "Lastly, it would seem that Moria has been able to revive a giant. This giant was the father of Oars Jr. whom is our ally. We've been asked to try to damage his body as little as possible during the fight. Vista, Curiel, Blenheim, Rakuyo, and Blamenco; you've all been assigned to deal with Oars. Please do so carefully for our ally's sake." The five men murmured in agreement. "Thatch and Namur, you'll both be leading the charge on the front lines. Are there any questions?"

"Um," Ace raised his hand awkwardly feeling like he missed something. "Where am I supposed to be? And what about you, aren't you going to fight?"

The room burst into laughter. Thankfully, through his laughs, Thatch answered. "Of course he's going to fight, idiot. He's the strongest commander. Why wouldn't he fight?"

"I only asked because he didn't say." Ace pouted.

"I'll be accompanying Oyaji and pursuing Moria along with him. We decided to leave the decision to you as to where you will be on the battle field." Marco spoke with the same bored expression on his face. "The reason we wanted you to join in the meeting was so that you could hear the battle plan and make the decision of your position in the battle."

"Oh," Ace muttered.

"You don't have to decide immediately." Marco offered. "Just make sure we know before the battle begins."

"Ok," Ace nodded.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation and anxiety. The commanders were busy preparing their individual divisions. Marco was also busy because a few fights broke out on the ship because of the anxiety on board. He'd had to pull many people apart and remind them that they would get all the fighting they wanted and more in a few days time. Ace ended up spending the day alone and most of the time training. Nervousness ate at him. He had to be careful so that no one noticed the curse. And he had to find the phoenix quickly, if he wanted to live.

…

It was early, too early in Ace's opinion, when he and Marco awoke the next morning. Breakfast was being served early to accommodate for making land at six. Marco nearly had to carry Ace, who was going in and out of wakefulness as a result of the earlier awakening, to the mess hall. He helped Ace to his chair and left to grab them both food. Ace instantly laid his head down on his arms and grunted when the other commanders arrived at the table and greeted him.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Thatch teased with a chuckle. "I'm guessing you're not a morning person."

"It's too early." Ace commented with a groan. He refused to look up to see the others as they arrived.

"What's wrong with you?" Izou asked him as he approached the table.

"Somebody didn't get enough beauty sleep last night." Thatch replied for him.

"It must be hard to change your sleep habits with narcolepsy." Haruta hummed.

Ace heard two plates of food being set on the table and then a hand ruffle his hair. He sighed dreamily and heard Marco chuckle. Ace opened his eyes to take in the arrangement of food in front of him. It smelled delicious, but not enough to tempt him into sitting up and eating. He was too tired.

"If you want you can go back to sleep and I can wake you up when we hit land." Marco offered noticing how tired his companion was.

"No," Ace grumbled sitting up with trouble, "everyone else is awake."

"Yes," Marco nodded, "but everyone else doesn't have narcolepsy, yoi."

"I'm fine," Ace assured taking his first bite of food.

Almost instantly, Ace fell asleep. Marco reached out and stopped Ace's face from ending up in his food. He gently lowered the boy's head onto the table. Marco smiled before returning to his own meal. Across from him Izou grinned in an annoying manner.

"You're so cute." Izou snickered.

"I'll put him back in bed after I'm done eating. We can't exactly let him fall asleep on the battlefield." Marco said, completely ignoring Izou's comment.

"You are getting very good at taking care of him." Juzo stated.

Marco shrugged in response. He didn't want to give his siblings more reasons to tease him than what they already had. Ace was important to him and he wasn't as good as he wanted to be at hiding that fact. When Ace smiled Marco's chest hurt and felt light at the same time. When Ace cried or was upset it made Marco feel like he was being stabbed in the chest. Ace was special to him. He wasn't sure what made the boy so important to him, but he couldn't deny what he felt for him either.

"I think you're letting him get a little too close to you." Thatch accused.

"I think you worry too much." Marco replied.

"I'm serious, Marco." Thatch continued in a low whisper, making sure not to wake Ace. "If he figures out what you are and tells anyone, Akainu will hunt you down."

"He won't do that."

"How can you know that?" Thatch asked. "We've known him for, what, a couple weeks? You don't know near enough about him to know what he would do."

"You're underestimating him." Marco stated blandly and finished his meal quickly before taking Ace, and his plate of food, back to the bedroom.

Ace didn't stir on the way back. Marco knew there was some truth in what Thatch said. He hadn't known Ace for very long, but he felt like he could trust him. Ace was familiar, almost like they'd met before, even though Marco knew that they hadn't. It was also easy to tell that the two of them got along extremely well. Marco had known exactly how to get Ace to calm down and Ace had known exactly how to cheer him up.

Marco laid Ace gently down onto the bed they shared. He knew he had to get to work on preparations, but the sight of Ace's bangs flipped into his eyes made him pause. He pushed the unruly black hairs out of the way and in doing so cupped Ace's cheek. Ace sighed in his sleep and nuzzled into Marco's hand with his expression perfectly at peace. Marco thought about pressing a kiss into Ace's forehead but hesitated. If Ace woke up while he was doing something like that for seemingly no reason, he might have trouble explaining himself. He sighed and left the room closing the door softly behind him so as not to wake the other.

…

Ace growled when he was awakened by a hand gently shaking him. A familiar chuckle reached his ears and he sat up straight immediately. "What happened I thought I was eating?" He asked in confusion.

"You were, but then you fell asleep. I brought you back here. Your food is on the desk. We'll be making land in thirty minutes." Marco explained.

"You should have woken me up," Ace pouted, "I could have helped."

"It was better that you got enough sleep. I don't want you so tired that you're falling asleep on the battlefield." Marco reasoned.

"I guess," Ace shrugged. "I still feel guilty though, since everyone else was working while I was asleep."

Marco shook his head, "It is fine. It's enough for you to be fighting with us. Anyway, try to eat quickly. Squardo is meeting with us as soon as we dock at his temporary camp. Most of the Dark Nation troops have withdrawn as they wait for back up, but we still need to be prepared to fight if they arrive before we predict."

Ace nodded and retrieved his food from the desk. He still felt nervous about meeting Marco's compatriots. "So, Squardo is one of your guys' allies?"

"Yes," Marco affirmed. "He joined us shortly after Akainu took control of the Fire Nation."

"I see, but he's not a part of Whitebeard's Army?" Ace asked.

"In a way, he is." Marco said. "Oyaji still considers him to be his son, but he's not in our ranks. He's the captain of his own crew."

"That sounds a little confusing."

"Think about it like a family." Marco suggested. "We see ourselves as a family. Oyaji is our father and everyone else on this ship are siblings to each other. So, this ship, meaning the commanders and the sixteen divisions are like the main branch or normal family, and our allies are like lesser branches or extended family. Although, we're all the same to Oyaji; we are all his children."

"That didn't really make it much easier to understand." Ace complained.

"Sorry," Marco laughed. "I guess you'll just have to wait until you meet Squardo to understand."

"Yeah, I guess," Ace supposed.

…

It was an hour later when everyone went to go meet Squardo at the temporary camp that was set up not far from the dock. All of the commanders and Ace went as well as Whitebeard himself. Most of the normal members stayed at the ship for the time being. Whitebeard led the group towards the base camp with Marco at his side. Ace followed behind them with Thatch and Izou. He observed Marco and Whitebeard as they talked and walked. He could tell that they were close from their body language. It made him wonder if Whitebeard could really be a father to everyone in the Whitebeard Army as well as their allies. To him it seemed like a lot of people to be a father to.

As for Ace, being near Whitebeard made him uneasy. The man was uncannily strong and intimidating, even just based on his stature. There was also the way that Whitebeard looked at him that made his stomach crawl. He didn't know what the look meant, maybe something akin to fondness, but Ace didn't like it. It was nothing like the look Marco often had towards him. There was fondness in that expression too, but it was different. He would notice Whitebeard giving the same look to Marco and the rest of his army that he gave to Ace. He wondered if that was how parents looked at their children. If that was so, then he wanted no part of it. He didn't need a father. He never asked for one, and he certainly didn't want one.

"What's with that face?" Thatch inquired after observing Ace as he watched Whitebeard and Marco.

"Huh, what face?" Ace responded.

"That face you were making while staring at Oyaji and Marco. Why were you making it?" Thatch explained.

"I wasn't making a face." Ace negated.

"Yes, you were." Izou giggled. "You made a face like you were trying to solve a difficult math problem. It was almost cute."

"It's nothing." Ace said.

"It didn't look like nothing." Thatch grinned.

Ace sighed, "I just don't understand how one guy can be a father to so many people. I mean, I know he's not biologically everyone's father, but how can so many of you think of him that way?"

Thatch and Izou exchanged a surprised expression before Izou spoke up. "It doesn't really make a difference does it? It shouldn't matter how many of us there are. Family is still family."

Ace sighed, "This is why I didn't ask."

"Maybe Marco would explain it better." Thatch suggested. "He's usually better at this stuff than we are."

"I probably already annoy him with all the questions I ask. I don't want to bother him over something trivial." Ace guessed.

"I highly doubt that you annoy him." Izou smiled.

"Hey, I can see the camp!" Thatch announced and took off running.

Many of the others followed Thatch's example and took off running towards their comrades. Ace watched in shock as all of the commanders ran past him. They passed Marco and Whitebeard, who continued to walk normally. Ace quickened his pace to come beside Marco.

"Are they always like that when you guys meet up with your allies?" Ace questioned.

"Gurararara," Whitebeard laughed, "Of course."

"Like I said, we're a family, yoi." Marco explained. "We're always happy to see each other."

Ace was silent as he, Marco, and Whitebeard finally entered the temporary camp. Many of the commanders were scattered around the area greeting and laughing with their comrades that they hadn't seen in a while. Whitebeard laughed and Marco smiled beside him. A man with sparse pink hair, a grey complexion, and a spider tattoo approached them.

"How have you been, son?" Whitebeard asked the man as he came closer.

"We're still hanging in there." The man said. "But, it's good to see you Oyaji, and you too Marco."

"Squardo," Marco acknowledged the man with a small nod.

"Who is this?" Squardo asked turning towards Ace.

"This is Ace," Marco introduced them; "He's been traveling with us. He'll be fighting alongside us in the coming battle. Ace, this is Squardo."

"Hello," Ace greeted reaching forward for a handshake.

Squardo answered with a strong grip. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you're prepared for a fight."

"I am." Ace nodded.

"Gurararara," Whitebeard's voice echoed through the camp. "Now that everyone is here, let's start the celebration! Get the rest of the crew over here with the booze."

"What," Ace gaped, "I thought we were supposed to be preparing for war?"

"We are," Squardo answered. "We're celebrating everyone being together so we can raise moral and fight harder together tomorrow."

"In other words, we're having a party, yoi." Marco stated.

"I understood that much." Ace said. "I just don't understand why."

Marco spoke in a low voice. "It's a tradition within our family, yoi. We celebrate before and after we fight. We celebrate before because we're all together, so that if we don't make it to the end of the battle we have a happy memory to remember as we pass. We celebrate after the battle for all of those who survived and to remember those who didn't make it."

Ace was stunned. He didn't know what to say to that. Marco seemed to understand as he smiled softly. Ace looked around the camp at all the groups that were gathered here and there. They all seemed to know each other and were happy to see each other. Maybe, the Whitebeard Army was more like a family than even Ace thought. Still it seemed bittersweet to Ace. They all knew that it was highly likely that some of the people they were talking to would be dead in the next few days. Could they really enjoy each other's company if they knew that it might be the last time they would get to? Marco shook Ace's shoulder in concern.

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking." Ace assured.

Marco nodded. "Just relax; we'll worry about everything else tomorrow."

Ace nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

…

It was later in the night when Squardo turned towards Ace and asked, "So why are you traveling with Oyaji and them?" They'd been sitting around the fire sharing a drink with a few of the commanders. Marco was busy dragging unconscious people back to their tents not far away.

Ace told the same lie he had in the beginning, "I'm looking for my brother. His name is Sabo. He's in the Revolutionary Army. He was stationed in the Earth Nation, but a while ago we stopped getting letters from him. My younger brother was worried, so I said that I would find him just to make sure that he's alright."

Squardo raised an eyebrow at his response. "What the hell is the Revolutionary Army doing in the Earth Nation? They should be in the Fire Nation trying to stop that motherfucker Akainu from destroying his own people. We haven't done anything wrong."

"Squardo," Izou said in a warning tone.

"Sorry," The pink haired man apologized. "Anyway, I heard you beat Teach's time in the ring with Marco."

"Yeah," Haruta chimed in, "Ace was awesome! He was trying to burn Marco with fire, and his wolf form is plain epic. Oh, and he created this miniature sun. It was so cool."

"Fire," Squardo questioned, "You're a Fire Nation Demon?"

"Kinda," Ace admitted, "I'm a Dip, so I'm Fire Nation by blood, but I was raised in the Air Nation. My mother fled the Fire Nation to live with one of my father's associates when the war broke out. But, when Akainu had my father hanged, my mother stopped feeding. She died giving birth to me."

Squardo paused and his eyes narrowed. Izou became tense next to Ace. "Squardo," he said.

"Your father was hanged by Akainu?" Squardo asked.

"Yeah, he fought against him when Akainu was killing the phoenix families." Ace said slowly as the hair on the back of his neck stood with the tension in the air.

"Not many people lived to be hanged by Akainu." Squardo stated with suspicion growing. "He killed everyone immediately except for those high up in the opposition. Your father must have been someone important."

"I guess," Ace said softly as his instincts were telling him to run.

"And everyone who was high up in the chain of command had their families killed with them, in most cases anyway. But your mother fled to the Air Nation." Squardo was tense as he recalled the facts of the grisly executions and conflicts that had taken many of his friends from him. Squardo grit his teeth and growled an accusation. "You're that fucking man's son."

"I don't know what you mean," Ace stuttered the lie.

"Like hell you don't," Squardo yelled. "I should have known; you look just like him." He screamed getting to his feet and approaching Ace. Ace scrambled to his feet as Squardo entered his personal space. "You're his son. That fucking guy that got my friends killed; you're his son! You're Gol D. Roger's son!" Squardo bellowed reaching for his sword.

"Wait, I," Ace tried to reason putting out his hands towards Squardo, but he was cut off.

His speech ended when Squardo swiftly embedded his sword into Ace's chest. Ace gasped as the sword was stabbed into his lung making pain seer through his body. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open as he realized what had happened. He tried to breathe but coughed up blood instead. Squardo twisted his blade in the wound causing Ace to cry out. The others around the two gasped and called out to them. Marco heard the calls dropped the person he was carrying to rush towards Ace.

"You shouldn't have been born." Squardo growled as he pulled his sword free of Ace's body, causing him to gasp again.

He was about to strike again when Marco stepped in front of Ace and stopped Squardo's blade from reaching him. He then delivered a powerful punch to Squardo's jaw making the man stumble backwards. Ace bent over coughing up blood behind him, but he knew he couldn't stay. He was going to be killed. Everyone knew who he was now. They would kill him even if Marco was on his side. He had to run. He had to find someone to feed from and heal and run far away from there. Even with his lungs forcing up blood, Ace took off running away from Squardo and the camp and into the woods of the surrounding area.

"Ace," He heard Marco call after him, but he didn't stop running. Ace's figure disappeared into the woods.

"Damn it, Marco," Squardo shouted angrily, "why are you defending him? You heard me. He's Roger's son! You should want him dead as much as I do. Roger got my friends killed while fighting against Akainu! He let your family be killed so he could rally the public against Akainu."

"That's not what happened." Marco argued. "Roger didn't let anyone be killed. Everyone thinks that he didn't tell my family about what Akainu was planning, but that's not true. He told them that Akainu was going to kill them, but they were pacifists. They decided not to fight. Their blood is on their own hands not his. And yes your comrades died fighting alongside Roger, but that doesn't make Ace responsible."

"You knew," Squardo accused softly, "You knew he was Roger's son and you let him travel with you anyway."

Everyone around, whom had not known about Ace's past, paused with wide eyes and looked to Marco. "Marco, is that true?" Thatch asked with a troubled expression.

"Yes, I knew." Marco confessed. "I had my suspicions at first, but he told me a while ago."

"And you didn't think to tell anyone." Izou gaped.

"He didn't want me to and it wasn't my place to tell anyone." Marco stated.

"Why," Squardo asked angrily. "You should hate him as much as I do! Why would you do that?"

"Because Roger wasn't to blame for my family's deaths, he tried to save them. And, even if Roger was responsible for their deaths, which he wasn't, that wouldn't mean that Ace should be blamed." Marco protested. "Ace didn't do anything wrong, yoi. He wasn't even born yet. You can't hate him for what his father did yoi."

"Everyone else had their families killed with them!" Squardo shouted. "Why should that man's son get away with his life when everyone else died? He deserves to die!"

Marco stepped forward as his temper flew out of his control. The blue flames, characteristic of his true form, were starting to roll off of him in waves. The others stepped back in caution. Marco adeptly hit Squardo's sword out of his hand. Squardo tried to take a step backwards when Marco caught him by the throat and held him off the ground with one arm.

Marco growled his warning clearly as his eyes blazed. "If you ever say anything like that ever again I will personally make sure that you never hold a sword again. And if you hurt Ace again, I will make your life end in the most painful way I can imagine, because I don't care what his father did, yoi. That has nothing to do with Ace. Ace is important to me and I won't let anyone harm him, yoi. Do you understand?"

"Marco," Whitebeard called, making everyone's attention focus on him. "Don't you think there's something else that you should be doing?" He asked looking potently towards the woods that Ace had disappeared into. "He'll need you."

Marco didn't say another word. He just sent another glare towards Squardo before releasing him harshly, making him fall to the ground and dismisseing his blue flames. He took off to give chase to Ace. He worried if he would make it to him in time. His wound was serious and Squardo had meant to kill. He only hoped that he could get to Ace before it was too late.

…

Ace thought he would die for sure. He'd yet to find even a single person to feed from, his wound was still bleeding profusely, and his vision was beginning to go dark. He knew he couldn't go any further and fell to the ground as his body gave into his injury. His breath was ragged and coated in blood. The sticky red substance trailed down his chin and streamed from his wound. He couldn't breathe as he lay down in the dirt. His eyes burned and his throat was dry with thirst. His body wanted him to feed so that he could heal and keep living, but there was no one around to feed from. His teeth dug into his lip as they elongated.

His vision blurred as he heard noise indicating movement. Someone was coming towards him. His instincts told him to stand and fight, but he couldn't anymore. He had lost too much blood and couldn't breathe without coughing up blood from his pierced lung. The footsteps and sounds of disturbed nature became louder. Ace bared his teeth as the figure came through the trees. Ace tried to growl as his body urged him to attack the newcomer and feed from them.

The figure raised his hands to show that he meant no harm and spoke in a calming manner. "It's okay, Ace. It's alright. It's me, Marco." The figure said. "I'm here to help you, yoi."

Ace whimpered as Marco said his name. His demonic nature was trying to take over. His vision was still blurred as Marco came closer. Ace wanted to tell him not to come any closer. If Marco got too much closer Ace's nature would take over him and he would feed from Marco again. But this time it wouldn't be a small drink of his blood. It would take a lot of blood to heal. What if he took too much? What if he killed Marco? Did Marco even want to help him? He said he did but Marco's comrades knew who Ace was now. Marco may have been okay with his past, but now that he knew where his family stood, could Marco still be so kind?

Marco stepped closer and Ace rallied enough strength to call out to him through the blood that was gathered in his throat. "Don't come any closer."

Marco paused but then continued to approach him. "I can help you heal Ace. You've fed from me before, so you can feed from me again."

"I'll take too much." Ace whined.

"No," Marco assured softly as Ace's thirst drove Ace to stand. "You won't hurt me."

"How do you know?" Ace asked with a parched throat.

"Because I know that you're better than that." Marco urged. "You're a good person, Ace. I trust you."

Ace felt like his heart was going to explode. His chest hurt in a way that had nothing to do with his wound. Ace looked at Marco and his could see his reassuring smile even through his blurred vision. Ace's demonic nature growled inside him. It wanted to feed off Marco, but more so it wanted to feed until there was nothing left. It wanted to kill Marco. Ace shook his head, that wasn't what he wanted to happen. Marco took another step forward and Ace's demon side took control.

Marco was tackled to the ground and had Ace's teeth in his throat before a second had passed from when he took the step. Marco flinched at the pain as Ace bit him and they tumbled to the ground. His breath was knocked out of him, but the chemicals Ace was injecting him with were distracting him. Marco sighed as the tingling euphoria from the feeding pulsed through his veins and traveled down his body. The feeling made him want to relax and let Ace do whatever he wanted. His mind was fogging over. He didn't think about how much blood Ace was taking and he definitely didn't want him to stop. Marco reached up and trailed one hand down Ace's spine until it came to rest on the small of his back. His other hand tangled into Ace's hair.

"Ace," Marco purred.

Hearing Marco whisper his name in such a seductive manner snapped Ace back into awareness. He'd let himself be controlled by his thirst. He'd already taken a lot of blood from Marco. His wound was healed. He needed to stop, but his demonic nature urging him to keep feeding until Marco had no blood left. He had to stop. He didn't want to kill Marco. Marco had accepted him. Ace steeled himself against his nature and quickly pulled his teeth from Marco with some resistance from his demonic side. He quickly closed the wound before he could slip up and let the demonic urges control him again. He then sat up with worry laced into his expression.

He cupped Marco's face in booth of his hands and called for him shakily, "Marco?"

Marco exhaled deeply and met Ace's eyes with an exhausted look and a lazy smile. "See, I'm alright."

Ace nodded with a sad look before wrapping his arms around him. He held Marco close and Marco held him as well. "I'm sorry," Ace apologized.

"Why are you sorry?" Marco asked with a laugh. "You didn't do anything wrong, yoi."

"Everyone hates me and you tried to help me anyway." Ace said. "But I could have killed you. I wanted to; my nature was telling me to kill you. If you hadn't said my name I wouldn't have stopped. You'd be dead and I would've killed you."

"You still would have stopped." Marco reassured in a whisper.

"You don't know that." Ace argued.

"I do," Marco claimed.

Marco leaned close and pressed a kiss to Ace's forehead. It was something he'd wanted to do since he saw the boy sleeping. He guessed that he could use the fact that he was trying to comfort Ace as an excuse if Ace wondered why he'd done it. But when he pulled back to look at Ace afterwards something in Ace's expression caught his attention. Ace's eyes were wide and there was something in them that Marco could only describe as longing. He wondered if his expression was the same as Ace's. Their eyes locked and Marco leaned forward until their breaths intermingled. Ace didn't pull away but sat transfixed to his spot as his eyelashes fluttered. Marco sealed himself and pressed his lips gently to Ace's. He felt Ace gasp against his mouth but he watched as he closed his eyes and began to respond. Marco smiled and closed his eyes as well. They kept the kiss short and sweet before Marco broke it off and caressed Ace's cheek. Ace breathed deeply with a blush highlighting his freckles.

"Your family hates me." Ace whispered. "How can you accept me so easily when everyone else wants me gone?"

"I care about you, Ace." Marco confessed. "You're familiar to me and I don't know why. If you're worried about everyone else then don't. Squardo hated Roger because many of his friends fought alongside him and got killed. He blames Roger for their deaths. Everyone else won't hate you because of who your father was. You're still you. If anyone has a problem with you then I'll protect you and so will Oyaji." Marco convinced him.

"You're familiar to me too. I don't understand what it means but when I'm around you I feel like I'm home. I feel like I'm safe." Ace replied.

Marco leaned forward and kissed Ace again chastely. It made Ace blush and butterflies rustle in his stomach. "Let's get some rest back at the ship. I think we've had enough excitement for one day, don't you?" Marco suggested.

"Yeah," Ace nodded standing.

They walked back towards the ship holding hands. Ace was still worried about what the rest of the crew would think about him now that they knew who he was. But, with Marco beside him he felt as if it didn't matter. Marco didn't care what the others thought about him. He still cared. Ace wondered if he could love Marco and be loved back. If he could that would mean that he would need to tell Marco about the curse. It was moving too fast for him not to tell Marco if they wanted to be together. Marco deserved to know that he was dying before they became too involved. Maybe then Marco could tell him if the phoenix existed or not. But Ace getting too far ahead of himself. At the moment he just wanted to go back to the ship and to his room with Marco and go to sleep within the other man's arms. That would be enough for now.

…

_**Well that took a while. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I enjoy reading all of your reviews. -LPC**_


	10. Chapter 9

When Ace woke up it was to a lot of pain. Somehow in his sleep his body turned itself onto its burnt side as he cuddled against Marco. He felt the skin stick to his jacket. Thankfully, there wasn't enough blood to bleed through the coat; just enough to make the top layer of skin peel off as he moved. He sat up and grimaced as he felt the burnt skin being removed from his body and stick to his coat. Ace hissed through his clenched teeth at the pain of the burnt skin being removed. Ace felt Marco stir and yawn next to him. He quickly hid his pain and discomfort behind an affectionate smile.

"Good morning," He whispered.

Marco smiled tiredly and sat up to press a gentle kiss to Ace's lips. "Good morning, yoi" He replied huskily. He rested his forehead against Ace's and got lost in his dark eyes. "Are you ready to go meet the others?"

Ace sighed and turned his beautiful eyes away from Marco. "They're going to hate me."

"No, they're just surprised. They're probably over the shock by now." Marco assured.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Marco smiled charmingly, "Just trust me, Ace."

Ace nodded slowly and felt heat travel to his face when Marco kissed him again. Ace couldn't help but smile. He felt as though he couldn't be upset when Marco was around. The other was constantly making him feel better and even before last night had been affectionate towards him in less obvious ways. He only hoped that everyone would be as accepting of him as Marco expected them to be.

…

Marco and Ace left the room and started to head towards the temporary camp again after getting ready. Ace had to rinse his coat so as to remove the pieces of flesh that had separated from his body from the fabric and then rinse away the evidence so Marco didn't notice when he used the bathroom. As he walked with Marco towards the deck Ace was distracted by the feeling of the fabric rubbing against the already irritated skin of the cursed area. He hid his discomfort and hoped he wasn't being too obvious about his illness. They heard chatter from down the hallway and Marco smirked at Ace in amusement as he realized exactly who the two voices were from.

Thatch and Izou rounded the corner and spotted Ace and Marco. Instantly they stopped their conversation. Marco's eyebrows rose and he figured that they had been talking about him and Ace. He glowered at the two of them to show them how much he appreciated their gossiping. Thatch cleared his throat awkwardly and would not look at Marco.

Izou, on the other hand completely ignored the angry blond and immediately ran to Ace and attacked him with a hug. "Oh my god, we were so worried about you. Are you alright? Did you heal?" He blubbered, "I'm so sorry. I should have stopped him. I didn't think he would stab you." Then instantly Izou let go of Ace and glared at Marco whose expression was schooled to be blank although he found the situation fairly funny. "Why didn't you tell us that he was okay? We were worried all night about the two of you."

Marco shrugged. "We were tired."

Ace stood in the background watching Izou argue with Marco who was smirking and obviously enjoying how he was annoying his brother. Izou didn't hate him either. Hell, Izou didn't even mention anything about Roger and the truth of his heritage that was revealed last night. Maybe they really didn't hold it against him like Marco said. Ace felt someone shake his shoulder gently and turned towards Thatch. Thatch smiled reassuringly.

"No one holds it against you," Thatch said, "Everyone has something about themselves that they want to hide from everyone else. Yours is your father, but no one will hate you for that. Everyone here has something they rather not talk about or a secret that they must keep. This is something everyone here can understand. So stop looking like someone just kicked your dog." Thatch finished by slapping Ace on the back.

Ace nearly flinched as Thatch hit the cursed part of his back, but he controlled the urge. He looked at Thatch and nodded slowly before asking, "I thought you didn't like me, so why are you being nice to me now?"

"I'm wary of you." Thatch stated. "That's because you aren't one of us and I'm not sure I can trust you, but Marco does." Thatch looked at Ace sternly."So I guess you can say that I'm trusting Marco's instincts, plus no one deserves to be hated for something they had nothing to do with. I'm accepting you, but if you do anything to hurt Marco I'll kill you."

Ace gulped but remained silent as Izou stopped arguing with Marco with a huff. The four started back towards the temporary camp and as they passed other crew members many of them patted Ace on the back as a show of support. Ace wondered if they actually supported him or if they were doing the same thing Thatch was; accepting him but only because Marco had. Apparently Marco's support meant a lot to the Whitebeard Army. Marco seemed to notice his distracted state and linked their hands, threading his fingers between Ace's.

"Stop worrying, yoi," he spoke lowly into Ace's ear. His breath tickled and made Ace shiver. "They're just being over-protective."

Izou and Thatch, who were walking behind the two, looked astounded as they observed the affectionate way the other two were talking and how their hands were intertwined. Izou gaped and Thatch looked at Marco and Ace's hands with wide eyes. Thatch and Izou shared a mischievous look.

"Aww, you two are just so cute." Izou gushed loudly making Ace jump and Marco flinch. "You're holding hands like two love struck teenagers."

"I get why you didn't come back to the camp now," Thatch said. "You two needed to be somewhere more private right, wink wink, nudge nudge."

Ace's face went bright red at the innuendo while Marco just narrowed his eyes in warning at his brothers. "Thatch," he growled.

"You know, normally I wouldn't pry but I am somewhat curious." Thatch continued, not heeding Marco's warning. Thatch smiled wickedly when he asked, "Who topped?"

Ace didn't think it was possible for his face to be any redder than it was at that moment. It also didn't help that Thatch's questions were making his mind travel to some dirty places. Blood traveled to somewhere other than his face when the fantasies of him and Marco having sex flitted in his mind. They hadn't had sex, but it was very obvious that Thatch thought they had. But they couldn't have sex, unless Ace told Marco about the curse. Ace mentally marked that down as a good reason to tell Marco the truth. Beside Ace, Marco was growing agitated.

"Well, I guess we know." Thatch snickered at Ace's deep red blush. "It's too bad because if it had been you then I was going to be very impressed."

"We didn't," Ace tried to say while stuttering.

Marco interrupted him by kicking Thatch swiftly in the stomach and sent him stumbling away from the two. Marco glared at the man with a bland expression. "You assume things too easily, yoi." He snarled. Marco then grabbed Ace's hand and a pulled him away from Thatch and Izou, who had been giggling through the whole conversation.

They turned the corner and Marco apologized, "I'm sorry about that, they can be ruthless sometimes."

"It's fine," Ace mumbled while still blushing.

Marco tousled his hair. "Well, they'll get over it eventually. I guess we'll have to deal with it until then."

"Are you going to kick everyone who makes those kinds of comments?" Ace asked.

"If you want me to, yoi," Marco offered.

"It would be interesting." Ace smiled as he leaned to place a kiss on Marco's cheek.

…

When they arrived at the camp both Ace and Marco could feel the tension in the air. All of the fighters that were in Squardo's crew openly glared at them, although Ace could tell that their hatred was directed at him alone. Ace felt the need to shrink back, but Marco tightening the grip on his hand reassured him. Marco seemed to square his shoulders and walked through the camp with his held high and his gaze focused directly in front of him. Ace focused on the ground slightly in front of his feet. They made their way quickly through the camp heading towards the center where Marco knew Whitebeard would be.

Marco could see his father's towering figure over the tops of the surrounding tents, but as he got closer he noticed another figure that gave him uneasiness. Ace saw the figure and tired to stop walking but Marco sent him a smile that convinced him to keep walking. Squardo stood in front of Whitebeard and spoke in hushed tones, but stopped when he saw them approaching.

"We can talk about this more later," Squardo said before turning and walking toward Marco and Ace with an intense hatred filled glare focused on the latter. Marco silently moved Ace slightly behind him so that he was in between Ace and Squardo. "Marco," Squardo grumbled before spitting in the opposite direction.

"Squardo," Marco responded with a small nod of acknowledgement.

As Squardo walked by them Ace could see the large and ugly bruise that was dark and coloring Squardo's jaw on one side. There was a gash in the bruise that ran from the man's lip to his chin. Ace nearly gasped. That hadn't been there the last time Ace saw the man. He wondered if that was the result of the punch Marco had thrown in his defense last night. Ace returned his eyes from the man's face to the dirt in front of him.

"Was that from you punching him?" Ace asked in a whisper as they got out of hearing range from the pink haired man.

"I assume so," Marco murmured.

Ace fell into silence but followed Marco as they approached Whitebeard. The man smiled as he saw the two and then focused on their joined hands and started to laugh. Ace followed the man's eyes to where Marco was holding his hand and felt a slight blush dust his face. It had felt so normal that he'd almost forgotten that he'd been holding the man's hand at all. Marco seemed unfazed by everything. Ace silently wished he had Marco's confidence.

"It's good to see the both of you." Whitebeard said. "I'm glad to see that both of you are okay. Unfortunately, we don't have time to celebrate. Our scouts have seen the enemy approaching from the north. We need to move out immediately. There's a clearing about a kilometer and a half from here. It would be the most advantageous place to fight. We're leaving once the commanders get back from the ship, we've sent out runners to get them." Whitebeard then turned to Ace, "Have you decided where you will be in this battle?"

"No," Ace said honestly. "I had thought that I would help Thatch lead the troops, but I don't think that would be a good idea now."

"You right," Marco stated. "I'm not sure if Squardo and his crew won't try to attack you under the cover of war. I would rather you stay close to me so that no one can move against you without me knowing, yoi."

"Protective much," Ace joked half-heartedly.

"He has a point, Ace, even if you don't like it." Whitebeard reminded. "Until we know that Squardo won't try to hurt you it would be better if you stayed with Marco and me. Neither he nor his compatriots would dare try anything against you while we were near."

"Okay," Ace agreed even though he felt like he was going to be a burden. Marco smiled at him brightly and Ace's heart nearly stopped. He didn't know what it was about the pineapple resembling haired man that made his stomach and chest feel so weird, but he couldn't say he disliked the feeling.

…

Later in the day they waited in the field. The enemy troops were moving exactly how everyone had predicted. They could hear the sounds of thousands of feet treading on the ground and the movement of heavy armor. Ace stood next to Marco and Whitebeard at one end of the field as they could see movement through the trees on the far side. Anticipation coiled in Ace's stomach. He watched the shoulders on the front lines, led by Thatch and Namur drew their weapons and hold them at the ready. Thatch held up his hand waiting for the first wave of enemies to cross the front line before ordering the charge. The sound of battle cries grew louder and louder until the first of the enemies burst through the tree in a dead sprint.

"Charge," Thatch yelled bringing his hand downwards.

Yells and shouts rose from the Whitebeard Army as they started to charge. The two opposing forces clashed in the middle of the field. Ace could see that the opposition's forces outnumbered theirs by at least a couple hundred, but neither Whitebeard nor Marco seemed worried about it. Through the trees came three recognizable figures; Perona, Dr. Hogback, and Absalom. The commanders started to make their moves to take out their assigned targets. Ace watched and wondered why they hadn't made a move yet. Then the ground started to shake causing him to stumble for a brief moment. Above the trees they could see Oars approaching. Ace assumed that Moria was nearby.

Whitebeard looked down towards Marco and ordered, "Open a path. Moria will be here soon."

Marco nodded. "Come on," He commanded towards Ace in a serious tone.

"Right," Ace agreed following Marco into the fray.

Marco and Ace made their way through the crowds of soldiers easily by knocking out anyone who got in their way with salt packets that Thatch had prepared for them, usually delivering a few hits first. Still it seemed as though the low level undead stood no chance against them. Suddenly they heard a strange laugh.

"Horohorohoro," Laughed Perona who was dressed like a gothic Lolita with bright pink hair. She summoned many negative ghosts that started to float through the Whitebeard troops. Ace grit his teeth and ran at her readying a fire fist.

"Wait, Ace" Marco called out to him, although it was too late.

Ace closed in on Perona, but the girl smiled and summoned her ghost back to her. She expertly dodged Ace's punch and retaliated. "Negative ghost," Perona called out as one of the cute and nearly transparent creatures flew straight through Ace's chest. Ace gasped as his thoughts turned dark and depressed. Ace collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees where his had been standing in front of Perona. "Horohorohoro, stupid boy," Perona commented readying to attack Ace with her ever-present umbrella.

She didn't pay attention to Marco who sprinted at her when he saw Ace fall. He arrived in front of her in a flash and then delivered a flying kick to her stomach. Perona cried out in a girlish scream. Marco immediately ran over to Ace as the commanders tasked with taking out Perona arrived.

"Ace," He called grabbing the younger man by the shoulders and shaking him until Ace made eye contact with him. Ace's eyes were hollow.

"I shouldn't have been born." Ace whispered hauntingly.

Marco's eyes widened. He knew that this was caused by Perona's ghosts, but when he looked in Ace's eyes he couldn't help but wonder if Ace didn't believe that it was true in some small way. Marco shook his head and pulled Ace close so that he could whisper in his ear. For a moment the battle taking place around them faded. "Everyone deserves to be born, Ace, and I'm happy that you were."

Ace seemed to snap out of the spell then. "Sorry, I," He started to apologize but saw Marco shake his head again.

"It's alright, yoi," Marco said as he released Ace. "Let's get going, Oyaji will be following after us soon."

Ace nodded and followed behind Marco as they made their way towards the front line. They were moving towards the point where Thatch was fighting near the tree line. Ace's cursed side ached with the constant moving and fighting but he tried to ignored it and hide its effects on his body. As they approached the man with the pompadour, he turned around to greet them. It seemed like there had been no enemies that posed a threat, but Marco knew better. He could sense someone's presence. Marco opened his mouth to warn Thatch when he and Ace saw Absalom become visible behind Thatch. Their eyes widened as Absalom brought his sword through the stomach of an un-expecting Thatch.

"Thatch," Marco yelled as Absalom withdrew his blade from the man and Thatch collapsed onto the ground. Marco raced toward Absalom as fury coursed through his veins. He barely held back his flames from manifesting. He delivered a combination of kicks to beast-man that sent him flying. He then crouched near Thatch and took his brother into his arms.

"I'm sorry," Thatch gurgled through the blood in his throat. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Shut up, yoi," Marco said trying to think as he applied pressure to the man's wound to try to stop the blood.

Ace was by his side staring down at Thatch in fear. Ace held back the waves of emotions that overcame him as he watched Thatch starting to bleed out while Marco tried to stay calm. Marco quickly looked around them as he tried to think up a solution. He could heal Thatch, but that would reveal what he was. He wasn't concerned about his family or allies because they already knew but then there was their enemies and Ace. If he used his powers in front of the enemies then that would mean that he would need to kill all of them so that they didn't spread word of it.

Ace, on the other hand would also find out about his powers if he used them. He didn't mind the fact as much as he knew he should. He should want to keep it from Ace to protect himself, but he didn't. In fact, he wanted Ace to know, after all; relationships shouldn't be started on lies. Marco glanced again to the tree line and made his decision.

"Ace," he commanded, "help me get Thatch into the woods."

Ace hesitated as Marco started to lift Thatch off of the ground. He didn't see the point of getting Thatch to the tree line. It was fairly obvious to him that the man was going to die. Thatch was human so he couldn't feed to heal and they weren't going to be able to get medical aid to him quick enough. So, why did Marco want to move him to the woods? Ace wondered why, but still moved to help. Marco took one arm and Ace took the other as they walked, more like carried, Thatch into the trees and away from the battle.

"Marco," Thatch grumbled, "you can't do this he'll see."

Marco looked at Ace, who had frowned in confusion at Thatch's words. Then he locked eyes with Thatch and spoke confidently, "I trust him."

Thatch fell silent as Ace and Marco settled him on the ground again. They weren't able to see the battle anymore through the trees, which meant that no one could see them. Ace turned towards Marco and finally asked, "What are we doing?"

"Don't do this Marco. It's not worth it." Thatch interrupted. "I don't want to be the cause of your death."

"It is worth it, yoi." Marco growled. "And you won't be the cause of my death."

"What are you two talking about?" Ace inquired.

Marco turned toward Ace as Thatch looked away. "Ace, I need you to do something for me."

"Okay," Ace nodded slowly.

Marco placed his hand over Thatch's wound and then placed one of Ace's hands over his. "Don't let me take my hand off of him. No matter what I do or say, don't let me removed my hand."

"I don't understand." Ace said confused.

"You will, yoi." Marco stated.

Marco breathed in and out deeply and called his flames to his hand to heal Thatch's wound. Ace's eyes widened and his breath caught as his saw the beautiful and bright blue flames sprout from Marco's hand and cover Thatch's wound. They were gorgeous and enticing but they weren't hot as they covered Ace's hand as well. Ace would have been trapped in silent astonishment at them if not for the painful gasp that came from the person controlling the flames. Ace looked over to see Marco's face contorted in an expression of indescribable agony. His brows were furrowed as Marco started to sweat from the torment and his breath became harsh with small whimpers coming through clenched teeth.

Suddenly Marco screamed with his voice breaking and he collapsed into Ace's lap. He whined in a tortured way, writhing and trembling at the pain pillaging his body. His breath came in pants and he tried to remove his hand from Thatch's body to stop the suffering he was in, but Ace held it there. Marco groaned and tired to bury his face into Ace's lap.

Ace tried to comfort Marco without letting him take his hand away from Thatch. He could see that the flames coming from Marco were healing Thatch's wound. Ace placed kisses softly to Marco's cheek and forehead. He whipped away the sweat that was collecting on Marco's brow and whispered to him quietly. Marco continued to whine lowly but stopped moving. Soon Thatch's wound was healed and the blue flames died out on Marco's hands. Marco continued to breathe in pants from exhaustion as the pain went away. Ace removed his and Marco's hand from Thatch's stomach and wrapped his arms around Marco.

"What was that?" He asked in surprise.

Thatch sighed as he sat up and answered. "We don't have time to explain everything to you right now." He looked down at Marco, whose eyes were more than half lidded and looking like he was going to pass out any minute. "You need to get him back to camp to rest. He'll need it."

Ace pouted but then looked at Marco and noticed how tired he looked. "Fine, but you both better explain this when you get back."

Thatch started to walk away but then turned to add, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you."

"Why," Ace wondered.

Thatch sighed, "Because if anyone found out then eventually people will come and make Marco miserable, maybe even kill him."

…

_**Convenient forest is convenient. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for the wonderful reviews. -LPC **_

_**PS. Sorry that I keep stabbing people. **_


	11. Chapter 10

It was nerve-racking for Ace to be sitting beside Marco's bed as the man himself was passed out between the sheets. Ace took the wet cloth from Marco's forehead and replaced it with a new one. They had entered the camp a few hours earlier and Marco had lost consciousness as soon as Ace laid him down. Ace didn't like the way Marco looked currently. Panting heavy breaths and tossing in unconsciousness as if still in pain. He was pale and sweating and he felt as if he were burning up. Ace worried. Would Marco be okay? Thatch hadn't seemed worried about him besides saying that he would need rest.

But, then there was the matter of what else Thatch had said. Ace shuddered when he remembered how Thatch had told him that if people found out about Marco that they would make him miserable or even kill him. Ace took one of Marco's hands in one of his and caressed Marco's face with the other.

Deep down Ace knew why, but he didn't want to believe it. Those magnificent blue flames, they couldn't belong to anything else. But he didn't want it to be true. He didn't want Marco to be the hidden blue phoenix even though it made perfect sense. Why Marco wouldn't use his demonic powers, why Marco hated rainy days, why people would make him miserable or even kill him if they found out; it all added up to one conclusion. Ace shook his head and silently wished that it was anyone other than Marco.

If Marco was the phoenix, then what would he do? Ace felt as though his heart was breaking. He'd seen first-hand what it took for Marco to heal others. Marco had screamed and writhed in pain. Healing others was torture for Marco. He didn't want to do that to Marco. He didn't want to cause him pain and suffering, but he had to if he wanted to live. If he wanted to live he would also have to admit to lying about his reason for traveling with the Whitebeard Army and then he would cause Marco an enormous amount of pain, that is, if Marco still healed him after he found out about his lies. Deep down Ace wondered if his life was worth that.

Within the darkness in his heart, he thought that he wasn't. If healing a stab wound had caused Marco this much pain, then how much pain would healing the curse that was nearly covering half of Ace's body cause. He had no idea that phoenixes went through this much pain to heal others, but then there weren't any phoenixes since he was born, or so the world thought.

But there Marco lay just in front of him. He was the last of the phoenixes; the last of that royal family's blood. Ace gulped, he'd almost forgotten that Marco being a phoenix meant that he was of royal blood as well. After all, there was a reason why the royal families ruled the nations and no one opposed them. Royals were special demons. It wasn't just that they were extremely powerful; there were other things that only royals were capable of. For one, on royals could open portals between the human and demonic realms. Royals were also said to have an effect on the emotions of those around them. They couldn't directly control other demons, but they could to some extent mess with their emotions, although the royal families of all Nations had agreed to not use their powers over their subjects. Then there was the fact that no matter whom they mated with a royal demon would always produce a royal demon, but that wasn't really helpful besides ensuring that the royal bloodlines continued.

Ace's heart sunk. He wasn't good enough for a royal especially not the last blue phoenix. What had Marco been thinking? Why was he interested in Ace when he wasn't anywhere near his status. Sure, Marco hadn't been raised as a Royal, but surely the man knew that he was special. How could he not be aware of that? Royals usually only married noble demons and Ace was in a middle class. He wasn't anywhere near a noble.

Ace shook his head as tears collected in his eyes. He couldn't be with Marco. He wasn't good enough for him. He would only be a burden to him. He had to make Marco see that. Marco would only be hurting himself by staying with Ace. Ace nearly broke into sobs as he looked at Marco while he slept and realized that Marco was just one more thing that he couldn't have.

"Damn it," Ace cursed quietly as he wiped the tears from his face. "I had really thought that this would work out. I thought that you might even be my soul-mate. You were even familiar to me like that stupid story said." Ace whispered. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come. I should have just stayed home and told Luffy that you didn't exist. Now I've met you, but you can't save me. I don't want you to save me." Ace's mouth became a straight line. "I wish I had never met you, then I wouldn't have to know how perfect you are and I wouldn't have to leave you."

Ace made his decision then. If Marco was the phoenix then he would leave. Of course, he would have to wait until it wasn't suspicious. But, he would have to leave so that he wouldn't cause Marco pain and suffering. He would just go home and tell everyone that he'd met the Whitebeard Army, but that there was no phoenix within their ranks. He resolved to go home and die surrounded by people who cared about him but far away from the one that could save him.

…

As the battle was winding down, as the Whitebeard forces drove back the Dark Nation's, Thatch approached Whitebeard with a frown. Whitebeard had noticed the absence of Marco and Ace during the rest of the battle. Therefore, it was easy for him to guess at the reason why Thatch looked so angry and concerned. "Ace knows?" Whitebeard asked.

"Marco had to heal me. Ace saw his flames." Thatch stated. "If Ace hasn't put the pieces together by himself already then I'm sure Marco will tell him everything shortly."

"I see," Whitebeard said keeping his eyes trained on the retreating troops. "You don't trust him."

"We've only known the kid for a few weeks!" Thatch exclaimed. "Of course I don't trust him. If Ace tells anyone, Akainu will come after Marco in a heartbeat and you won't be able to protect him forever."

"He'll come after you as well." Whitebeard reminded. "You often forget why you're a human living in a demon's world. Akainu will come after Marco if he finds out. He'll imprison him and make him heal only those who are loyal to Akainu. That's not a life that anyone would want to live. Marco deserves a better life than that; one that he can be free to do as he wishes in. But, Marco's life wouldn't be the only one ruined if the secret leaked. Akainu would also come after you. So, who are you really worried about, Marco or yourself?"

Thatch froze. He didn't know what to say. Of course he was worried about himself, it was self-preservation. But he felt as though Marco's future would be worse than his own, if Akainu discovered their secrets. Akainu would kill him, he was sure of that, but Marco would be imprisoned until he died. He would have to heal people every day and go through the agony that it took to accomplish that task without rest. For Thatch it seemed that the consequences for Marco would be worse than his. Sure, his death would be painful, but then it would be over. Marco would live for centuries before being freed by the kiss of death. His life would be torture, even though Marco had done nothing wrong. Thatch at least deserved his fate; Marco was just the victim of his stupid mistake.

"It's my fault." Thatch whispered. "If I hadn't been so stupid and so full of hate then it would be easier for Marco. He could have taken refuge in the Earth Nation without hiding who and what he is. People wouldn't be pursuing Marco if that damn curse didn't exist. Yeah, Akainu would still be trying to kill him, but at least he wouldn't risk becoming a prisoner and being in pain for the rest of his life." Thatch shook his head. "I tried to stop him. I tried to tell him that saving me wasn't worth revealing himself, but he wouldn't listen. Now Ace is going to find out and then what?"

"I wouldn't worry," said Izou as he walked up to the two, "I don't think Ace will tell anyone."

"Why is that?" Thatch asked.

"Ace knows what it's like to have a secret that you have to keep to protect yourself." Izou answered. "You saw last night what happens when people find out about who his father is. Ace obviously can't be honest with people without risking harm. I don't think he'd be quick to expose someone else's secret when he knows what will happen to them if he does, especially not if that person is Marco." Izou smiled as he reasoned. "Marco has been helping and protecting Ace ever since he got here and it's obvious that the two of them are close. I don't think Ace would do anything to hurt Marco. He cares about Marco as much as Marco cares about him."

"I don't know," Thatch denied. "We don't even know if Ace is telling the truth about traveling with us. He could have been lying and have been chasing after Marco without us knowing it. And if that's true Ace would just use Marco now that he's found him. I mean, isn't it suspicious that he never takes off that coat. He could be affected by the curse and trying to find the phoenix to cure himself. If that's the case, why wouldn't he just have Marco heal him by leveraging the information he has now?"

"You mean blackmail Marco?" Izou questioned in a concerned tone.

"That's exactly what I mean." Thatch affirmed.

"You're underestimating them." Whitebeard said solemnly. "Marco's intuition has never led him astray before and Ace isn't as selfish as you're making him out to be. We have no way of knowing for sure if Ace is cursed or not, but we'll just have to wait to find out for sure. In the mean time, it would be wise of us not to react rashly to the situation at hand. If we react harshly to Ace knowing the truth it could lead to worse consequences than if we reacted with patience. And If Marco decided to tell him the truth then we don't have the right to stand in his way." Thatch and Izou nodded slowly although their minds were still filled with worry. "Thatch head back to camp, if Marco plans to tell Ace the truth there will be questions that only you are able to answer."

Thatch agreed with hesitation. "Fine, but for the record I still think that this is a terrible idea."

"I'm aware, my son." Whitebeard assured.

…

Ace watched as Marco's eyes fluttered open, even if they were only slits. "Hey," Ace greeted him still holding his hand and caressing his face. "Are you alright?"

Marco nodded slowly with an exhausted smile. He reached out and gingerly pushed Ace's stray bangs away from his eyes. "I'm sorry," He whispered, making Ace freeze in surprise.

"Why are you sorry?" Ace asked astounded.

"I hid things from you, even after I made you tell me about yourself." Marco replied. "I made you reveal a secret you wanted to keep, but I didn't share one in exchange."

Guilt settled in Ace's stomach. "It's alright, I mean, I understand why you had to, but, are you really a phoenix?" Ace already knew the answer but he had to ask. Marco nodded and started to sit up. "Wait, what are you doing? Don't you need to rest more?"

Marco chuckled tiredly, "I will but I want to show you something first." He stood and took Ace's hand in his. "I saw you," Marco explained. "That wolf; that was you. You were beautiful and strong and fierce. It was amazing. I want you to see me too."

Ace stuttered through the heat covering his face, "But isn't that dangerous? What if someone sees you?"

"No one will see. We'll go deep into the woods where no one is." Marco answered.

Ace hesitated briefly. He didn't want Marco to risk so much just to show him his true form, but, then again, could he really pass up a chance to see a real phoenix? Ace smiled like a child and nodded excitedly. Marco chuckled again and they took off heading towards the woods.

It was a while before Marco finally stopped at a clearing amongst the trees. His haki told him that no one was anywhere close and the only person coming towards them from the camp was Thatch. Marco smiled and turned to face Ace. He placed a kiss on the other's forehead and then took a few steps away from him. Marco's stomach was in a fit of nerves. He wanted to show Ace his true form but his couldn't help but be a little nervous.

Ace was buzzed with excitement. Never in a million years had Ace thought he would be face to face with a phoenix. If someone had told him this was going to happen he would have called them insane and then beat the crap out of them. He watched in awe as Marco transformed. Marco shifted his arms first turning them into fiery blue and gold wings that lengthened to their full wingspan. Ace gasped at the sight. Marco then kicked off the ground with a few flaps of his huge wings. He loved Ace's expression of child-like amazement. Marco took strength from that expression and spun while transforming into his true form of the blue flaming bird. Marco then landed not far from Ace and allowed Ace to gather himself.

Ace's eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. Tears started to form in his eyes again. He was just so beautiful and magnificent. Ace stood staring at Marco for a few moments taking the sight in. Marco was big in his true form. The phoenix was at least twice Marco's size had been as a human. Ace looked into the phoenix's eyes and saw Marco's keen wit and lazy expression in them immediately. Ace slowly reached forward and Marco bent his neck downward so that Ace could trace the dark blue circles around his eyes and then run his fingers through his golden mane. Ace gasped as his fingers felt the cool flames and shivers ran down his spine. Ace then ran his hand down Marco's long, elegant neck to his chest where he traced Marco's tattoo. Ace could hear Marco chuckle even though it was higher and lighter than it was when he was in his human form. Ace almost wanted to pout, but he was more interested in examining the rest of Marco's phoenix side.

Thankfully, Marco stretched out on of his huge wings and held it out slightly in front of Ace. Ace smiled brightly in response. Instantly Ace was running his fingers through feathers from the coverts to the secondary and long primary feathers. They felt textured like feathers but they were fluid like fire. It was like they were constantly changing and rubbing their soft bristles against Ace's skin. Ace wanted to bury himself in the feeling of Marco's soft feathers. Ace then notice the long tail of feathers that were stretching out around them. A lot of them were just long blue fluffy feathers but then there were golden chain like tails mixed in. Ace reached out to touch them and found that they felt like cold metal. In fact they reminded him of the belt Marco wore with his blue sash. He vaguely wondered if Marco wore that belt just to get this effect out of his phoenix form.

Ace then started to speak, although with some difficulty. "I just don't understand. How did you survive? You had to be one of those two children. How did you survive when everyone thought you were dead?"

Ace heard Marco sigh in a bird-like manner. Marco phased back into his human form and dragged Ace over to a tree where he sat and then pulled Ace into his lap. "It's a long story and I'd have to start at the beginning."

Ace shrugged and settled against Marco, even though it was slightly uncomfortable because of the curse. "We have time."

Marco smiled and began to tell the story of his life. "Everything started when I was just a child. When Roger told my family about Akainu's plans, they sent me to live with the red phoenixes since Akainu wasn't after them yet. My family members were pacifists, so they decided not to fight back against Akainu if he came to kill them. So they sent me to live with the red phoenixes in hopes to keep me safe and continue the family line. But, we didn't know that the red phoenixes actually hated us since the public thought we were stronger. I was only a few years old when I moved in with the red phoenix family and a lot of them saw it as an opportunity to get back at the blue phoenixes."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Since I hadn't awakened I didn't have any powers." Marco continued, "So, many of the phoenixes wanted to take their hatred out on me. I spent the first few months with them locked in a cell in their basement. They wouldn't feed me more that what was necessary to keep me alive and many of them would come to beat me. I didn't understand when I was little but I realize now that they were jealous. I don't know what they were jealous of. Healing others isn't a great power and the pain it takes for us to do so is tremendous. I always thought that it would be much more advantageous to actually be able to set things on fire. But, I guess that they hated me because the blue phoenixes were nearly worshipped by the public, even though the red phoenixes did just as much for them.

"I was alone in that cell for a while, until a teenage son of the red phoenixes found me there one day. He hadn't known that I was there. His family hadn't told them. He had just gone through his awakening and was proud of himself. He was the only one to reach out to me. We became friends quickly and I started to think of him as my older brother, even though he was much more childish than I was. He would come down to my cell everyday and bring me more food and spend time with me while trying to make me laugh. He was the only person who cared about me and he eventually convinced them to let me out of the cell and into an actual room.

"That didn't last long, because soon after Akainu killed my family he came after the red phoenixes as well. The red phoenixes decided to fight since they saw what happened to my family when they didn't fight. With Roger's help, we fled the capital of the Fire Nation and headed south to the edge of the sea. Oyaji was supposed to meet us there and take us to refuge in the Earth Nation, but Akainu was relentless. He wanted us dead so badly that he chased us to the border without rest. Roger tried to hold him up, but eventually Akainu caught up to us and Oyaji was a little behind schedule because of storms. When we reached the sea, we had no where left to run. The adult phoenixes told my brother to leave me behind and fly to safety. My brother said that he wouldn't just leave me behind to be killed. He carried me on his back and took off into the sky."

Marco paused briefly as he remembered that day. "It was pouring rain that day and the red phoenixes were at a major disadvantage. There weren't many of them and Akainu had a whole army behind him. They didn't last long in the battle. My brother started crying as his family was murdered in front of him. But there wasn't anything he could do. The red phoenixes flames were getting doused because of the rain where as the dragon's magma was hot enough to still be insanely destructive, even with the rain. I saw so much carnage that day. Even with their regeneration powers, the red phoenixes healing couldn't keep up with the damage the magma was causing, not with the rain and their lack of battle knowledge. One by one they were thrown into the ocean and they sunk until they drowned. After a few moments their bodies would return to the surface with their pain filled dying expressions."

"That's horrible." Ace commented.

"After he'd killed the adults Akainu came after my brother and me. My brother couldn't fight him, but he tried to avoid him as much as he could. But, Akainu was too powerful since my brother had only recently awakened and had to carry me as well. Akainu attacked us and my brother took a sharp turn to avoid it, but I could hang on to him. I fell into the ocean. My brother tried to catch me but Akainu used that as a chance to attack him as well. He fell into the ocean right after me. I remember how it felt to be drowning. I remember my brother wrapping his arms around me as we sunk deeper and deeper. My breath ran out and I kept trying to breathe but all I inhaled was water. I thought I'd died. I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't move or speak. There was just nothing. I came to on the deck of the Moby with my brother hunched over me. Akainu had left, thinking that we were both dead and Namur had fished us out of the sea."

"I don't understand," Ace wondered in a whisper. "If you and your brother survived then how are you the last phoenix? I mean there has to be a red phoenix out there too right? And how did the curse start then?"

Marco shook his head, "That's not my story to tell."

"You right," Thatch said emerging from the trees. "It's my story."

"Brother," Marco smiled tiredly.

"Your story…" Ace asked confused.

"That's right, brat." Thatch admitted. "It's my story. Who else do you think could take care of this troublesome guy when he was just a brat?"

"Huh," Ace gaped and Marco chuckled.

"It's true," Marco assured. "Thatch was my brother before Oyaji took us in. He was the one that took care of me and carried me on his back while he fled from Akainu, even when everyone told him to leave me behind. He saved my life, well him and Namur."

"But how," Ace asked loudly, "You're not a phoenix. You're a human."

"I was a phoenix." Thatch said. "Ugh, if I knew explaining things would be this annoying I would just have stayed in the camp."

"Aw come on," Ace whined.

"Shut up," Thatch replied with an equally annoying whine. "If you want to hear the story then you're not allowed to speak until I'm done with it." Ace clenched is mouth shut and nodded quickly, looking so innocent and cute that Marco couldn't help but place a kiss on his cheek. "Good," Thatch hummed. "I'm guessing that Marco explained how we met. I was sent to the basement to grab something my parents wanted, but then I saw him in the cell. He was so cute, and being the amazing being that I am I couldn't just leave him there alone." Marco and Ace both rolled their eyes at Thatch's bragging. "I saw that," Thatch grumbled but continued anyway. "Anyway like I said I started bringing him food and water and whatever else I could grab when my parents weren't looking. Eventually we became like best friends and then he started calling me 'brother'. We've been inseparable ever since."

Thatch sighed and remembered the day he'd lost his family. "I guess I should skip to the important part. That day when we first saw Akainu, I think everyone knew that we were going to lose. My family decided to fight because they figured that if they were going to die anyway then they might as well go out fighting. They told me to run away. They said that continuing the line was the most important thing. They told me to fly away and try to make it to Oyaji since the Earth Nation had offered us refuge, but it was raining and it weakened us. It weakened the dragons too but not as much as it did us. I watched each and every one of my family members be torn apart and drown in the ocean. We were supposed to be able to heal any injury to ourselves, but with the rain stifling our flames and power of the magma was too much for us to fight. After everyone else was gone, I was just me and Marco, but then I turned too sharply and Marco fell. I tried to catch him. I didn't want to be the only one left. And then I was drowning too."

Thatch paused with tears collecting in his eyes and Marco got up to comfort him. Then Thatch spoke like he was talking to Marco, instead of explaining things to Ace. Ace was silent as he watched the two brothers and it felt like he was watching himself and Luffy. "I remember the feeling of struggling to hold my breath and holding onto you when you couldn't hold yours anymore. I remember feeling you struggle to breathe but only take in water. I felt your struggle and tremble and I was so filled with hate, anger, and despair. We didn't do anything wrong. You weren't even born when the phoenix families were rebelling against Akainu's new laws. But, I felt you go still and I thought that he'd killed you, and my family, and me." Marco just held Thatch close and rubbed his back to encourage him to keep talking. "That's when I heard a voice. I didn't know what to think of it. It asked me if I wanted to punish those who had hurt us. I was so consumed by my emotions that I couldn't think clearly. I wanted to make Akainu and everyone who followed him to pay for killing us. I said that I wanted them to suffer for what they did and the voice said that it would come at a price. I'd thought that I'd had nothing else to lose so I agreed to pay any price for our revenge."

"The next thing I knew I was coughing up water on the deck of the Moby. I didn't even understand what had happened. I was extremely happy when I realized that I was alive. I started celebrating before I saw you." Thatch struggled to keep talking even though his throat felt like it was closing up. "You looked so small and so dead. Your eyes were closed and your skin was blue and you didn't move at all. I screamed, and I yelled, and I shook you; trying to get you to wake up. Everyone was staring at me like I was an idiot and they tried to pull me away from you. I kicked and screamed and I begged you not to leave me. They told me that you were dead, that I had lasted long enough for them to revive me, but that it was too late for you. I pleaded and begged them to at least try. I didn't want to be alone. Oyaji took one look at me and said okay. But even I was starting to give up when you finally sputtered back to life. I was so happy when you opened your eyes I felt like all the hatred and despair was gone because I still had you."

"Then a few days later you asked me if I would take you flying again." Thatch frowned as he spoke. "That's when we found out that I wasn't a phoenix anymore. That's when I figured out what the price was for revenge. I was a human, just one with a really long lifespan. I couldn't fly anymore. Oyaji and the others instantly wondered how I became a human. I told them about the voice and they'd explained that I must have made a deal with some other type of demon, a wish-granter or something like that. It was only later that we saw what I got in exchange. The curse, that was cast upon the Fire Nation that, was the result of my deal."

Ace was left speechless. Thatch had been a phoenix and he'd traded his powers to create the curse, the same curse that was killing Ace, the same curse that only Marco could heal. This was insane. Ace didn't know what to think or what to say, but he had to say something.

"Thank you," Ace mumbled, "for telling me."

Marco and Thatch turned to face him and Thatch spoke. "Yeah well now you know everything, so you can't tell a single soul what we've told you. You understand that right? If you tell anyone Marco and I will be in grave danger."

Marco left Thatch side and came up to Ace with a trusting smile. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." Ace swore. "I don't want you two to be hurt." Marco took hold of both of Ace's hands and rubbed circles on them. He leaned forward and kissed Ace. He kept it chaste since Thatch was still there but the man reacted anyway.

"Would you to get a room?" Thatch complained.

…

The moon was high in the sky when Moria's camp had an unexpected visitor. At least half of Moria's forces were dead or nursing wounds. He was at a major disadvantage and it was making him extremely irate. It didn't help his mood when he heard dark laughter coming from a familiar man.

"Damn you Marshall Teach," Moria cursed as the man stepped into the light of the fire.

"Oh, have a sense of humor, Moria," Teach laughed. "You should have known better than to take the Whitebeard Army on at their full force. By my estimates your forces will have to withdraw in another day or two. Your plan was doomed from the start. If you continue to go on like this all of you will die without securing any land for our beloved Dark Nation."

"It's not like your plan is going much better!" Moria argued angrily. "Wasn't your idea to reveal the identity of the phoenix within Whitebeard's ranks to Akainu and form an alliance between the Fire nation and us? You've yet to show any sign of progress."

"Oh, but I have progressed." Teach bragged. "I know who the phoenix is and even better I know who caused the curse! All I have left to do is to get proof of that the phoenix is who I say he is and that has been made almost hilariously easy for me because of recent events."

"Why are you so confident?" Moria raged. "The phoenix has always been extremely careful not to reveal himself. How do you plan to make him show himself?"

Teach chuckled, "I'd love to leave you in the dark, but since you are my countryman I guess that I'll include you on my master plan. Originally I had planned to use the phoenix's best friend to lure him, but now I have a much better option. You see the phoenix has fallen in love with someone, and that will be his ultimate downfall. I want to test how much Marco would do to save his new, beloved pet." Teach smiled maliciously. "I will make Marco choose between the boy he's fallen in love with or keeping his secret."

"You think that the phoenix who has spent his whole life in hiding will reveal himself for some stupid boy?" Moria asked in disbelief.

"Oh, I'm positive that he would." Teach snickered. "He's already revealed himself to the boy. Now all that's left is to use his weakness against him."

"That's preposterous!" Moria exclaimed.

"You don't know Marco." Teach stated. "He's so good and moral that it's almost disturbing. But, this is the only time that he's ever let anyone close this fast. My plan is perfect and when it's through I'll take the proof and offer Akainu a deal that he can't refuse. I'll offer him an alliance with the Dark Nation to take down the Earth Nation. He'll get the phoenix and the one who started the curse and we'll get the Earth Nation's land. It's perfect."

"Then why don't you get on with it already?" Moria asked impatiently. "If you execute your plan now then I can use it as a distraction to push the Whitebeard Army back."

"Why would I do that?" Teach asked maniacally. "Then I would have to share my success and glory with you."

"You bastard," Moria yelled.

"Don't worry though, after you fail miserably I will step up and take my destined place as the hero of the Dark Nation." Teach said as he left the way he came.

…

**_I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) Thank you for the lovely reviews and all of your support i really am proud of this series so far and can't wait to write more of it. -LPC_**


	12. Chapter 11

_**Okay. So I hope you guys like angst and like heartbreak because the next few chapters they're basically going to be centered around that. So, sorry?**_

**_..._**

As Teach had predicted, the battle only lasted a few more days. Squardo had made no moves towards hurting Ace, as Marco was sure to stay by his side until they left. With the arrival of Jimbe, Moria's forces were decimated and what remained of his army was forced to withdraw back to the Dark Nation. With the knowledge that Ace knew about Marco's powers, many of the Whitebeards accepted Ace and started to treat him as part of their family, although, Ace was unaware of his new status as a prospective family member. Since the fight was won, the Whitebeard Army planned to head back to the Earth Nation's capital. Ace decided to stay with them until they arrived there, so that his leaving would not cause suspicion. Teach had anticipated to initiate his master plan immediately after the fight with Moria ended, but something put a delay in his schedule. That thing was a red envelope sent from the capital addressed to Marco.

"What's with the letter?" Ace asked when he saw Marco holding the red envelope marked with a golden seal at breakfast.

"It's an order from the capital." Marco replied with a sigh. "I've been assigned a solo mission of driving off enemies from one of the Earth Nation's treasuries on a far away island. The only people there right now are a few royals who have been taken hostage by thieves looking to steal the money that's stored there."

"And they want you to handle them alone?" Ace asked, incredulous.

"Marco gets these solo missions every once in a while." Haruta says. "Since he's so strong, the royals of the Earth Council like to assign him to this stuff when they don't want to risk their weaker troops but also don't want to send out all of us."

"Does that mean you won't be coming to the capital with us?" Ace asked in worry. He knew that once they made it to the capital, he would have to leave immediately to even attempt to make it back home before the curse took his life. After all, they had a long way to go until the capital and Ace had an even longer way to go home. Green Bit and the village that Ace had met the Whitebeards at were near the ocean. The capital of the Earth Nation was land locked, besides a path of rivers and lakes that were deep and wide enough to sail large ships in. It would take them roughly fifteen days to reach the capital and another ten for Ace to make it home and that was if Ace could still run at full speed in his true form, which he doubted he could. If Marco wasn't coming to the capital with them, then Ace might not get to say goodbye to him before heading home.

Marco smiled and ruffled Ace's hair. "Don't worry," Marco assured, "this should only take a week at most. I'll meet up with you again before you all reach the capital."

"But how will you know where we are?" Ace asked. "And how are you getting to this island?"

"He's going to fly." Thatch stated blandly.

"But won't people see him?" Ace inquired afraid.

Immediately everyone around started laughing, "God, Ace, we just let you in on the secret and you're already worried we're going to just let Marco fly around in broad daylight?" Izou teased.

"I'm going to leave in the dead of night when it's pitch black and I'm going to fly so high, that no one else can fly as high and see me. Everyone that's on the ground will just think that I'm a shooting star." Marco explained. "No one will think I'm a phoenix until I get there."

"How are you going to keep it a secret then?" Ace asked.

Marco sighed in a depressed manner. "I have to kill everyone who sees me."

"What," Ace asked stunned.

"Unless I kill everyone that sees me, rumors will spread about me and that could cause a major war if Akainu heard. So, when the council sends me on these missions, they're basically sending me as an assassin to kill everyone in a specific area. This time, the mission is at a treasury island, which means the only people there should be royals who already know about me and everyone else is the enemy that I'm meant to kill. So, I can use my true form as freely as I want without risking civilians getting involved." Marco explained.

"What happens if civilians do get involved?" Ace asked.

"Then I have to kill them." Marco answered in a tone full of grief and guilt.

"Oh," Ace said quietly before quickly changing the subject. "But how are you going to find us to get back? If you're going to be flying so high how will you see us?"

Marco's frown dispersed and was replaced with a smirk he shared with his siblings. "Let me show you." He offered, holding his hand out to Ace and standing up.

Ace looked at the others around the table, who gave no signs as to what he should expect. Ace shrugged and rose to take Marco's hand. Marco led him back to their room. He motioned for Ace to sit down on the bed and went over to his dresser and opened a small drawer at the top. He pulled out a necklace. It was on a gold chain and had a clear, transparent sphere with a folded piece of paper inside of it. Marco handed Ace the necklace and he could see that the paper was moving, seemingly of its own accord, towards one edge of the sphere. No matter how Ace moved the sphere the paper still pointed and moved in the same direction. On the small piece of folded paper 'Oyaji' was written on it in slanted script.

"What is it?" Ace wondered.

"It's called a vivre card. At certain shops, you can take a lock of your hair or chips of your fingernails and they'll infuse it with a special type of paper. The paper then is infused with your life force and it will always move in the direction that you're in. This is a piece of Oyaji's vivre card. Everyone in the family has a piece so that we can always find our way back to him and, thus, to each other." Marco informed him. "I had my piece made into a necklace so I can easily see it when I'm flying so that I can find my way back home."

Ace moved the necklace close to his eyes and watched the little paper move in the direction of Whitebeard's throne. "That's kind of amazing." He said softly. He reluctantly handed the necklace back to Marco and watched the blond put the necklace around his own neck.

Marco sighed. "I guess I had better get to packing. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can come back."

Ace lay down on the bed and watched as Marco started packing a small knapsack with some clothes and a few other necessities. Ace felt like he wanted to pout. He only had a limited time with Marco, and it really sucked to have to give up even a minute of that time, now he would have to sacrifice a whole week of it. "Do you have to do it?" He heard himself ask in a childish voice.

Marco paused from what he was doing in surprise. He looked over at Ace with a fond expression. Marco came to lie next to Ace on the bed and pulled the younger against him. Marco wrapped one of his arms around Ace and brought the other to the back of his neck as he whispered, "I wish I didn't have to."

Ace felt Marco's lips press against his and sighed dreamily, even through the pain of Marco's hand resting on part of his cursed skin. He tried to ignore the urge to feed from Marco again. It was growing, since he hadn't fed in a few days and had been fighting, but he knew if he kept feeding from Marco they would most likely become mates. That was something that Ace couldn't allow to happen. Ace latched his arms around Marco to pull him closer. He felt guilty. He was kissing someone that he knew he would leave, but something about Marco made him never want to let go. He selfishly wanted Marco to be his and wished that he could be Marco's. He felt Marco gently nip at his bottom lip and parted his lips to accommodate Marco's tongue. He couldn't help but moan as the two of their muscles brushed inside his mouth and Marco's taste overwhelmed his senses. Marco tasted just as good as his blood did, but it was a hard taste to describe. It was sweet and spicy and completely intoxicating, almost like alcohol, but less bitter. It made his head feel fuzzy and nice. The more Ace tasted, the more he wanted to taste. Marco tugged at his hair, knowing that the sensation drove Ace wild, and made Ace moan louder. Ace pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as he could feel the need for air pestering him. He could feel Marco smile against his lips.

As they pulled apart Ace whispered, "Marco," in want, even though he knew they could go no farther than that without revealing his curse.

Marco chuckled before peppering Ace's face and neck with little kisses and nips before pulling away slightly. Marco lay beside him still just holding him and caressing his face. "I'll be as quick as I can be." Marco promised. "I'll be back before you even start to miss me."

"I doubt that." Ace said, but was happy to be close to Marco for whatever time they had before Marco would leave. He only hoped that when Marco returned that they'd have time left to be together before they arrived at the capital and Ace would have to leave. "Just hurry back," Ace whispered.

Marco replied with a soft, "I will," and rose to return to his dresser where he removed a white sheet of paper from the same drawer and tore a square piece from it before writing his name on it in impeccable script. "I want you to have this." He said handing the paper to Ace who sat up to receive it.

Ace looked at the piece of paper for a second in confusion before he felt it tug in the direction Marco was standing in. "This is," he said in surprise.

"It's my vivre card." Marco affirmed as he took a seat next to Ace again. "I want you to have it, so you won't worry about me."

"How would it keep me from worrying about you?" Ace inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Marco smiled and held one of Ace's hands. "This vivre card is infused with my life force. If anything happens to me, then the card will show it. If I'm hurt or dying, then you'll know."

Ace looked at the small card in stunned amazement, then curled his hand around it protectively. Ace's chest hurt and felt light at the same time. It hurt because it felt like he was betraying Marco in some way by accepting such a wonderful gift. This little piece of paper was a representation of his bond with Marco. It felt heavy in his hand with the weight of his dishonesty, but he wanted to cry because it showed how much Marco thought of him too. It meant that he was important to Marco. It was almost more than he could take.

"Thank you," Ace whispered and Marco leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek.

"No problem, when you get a vivre card of your own I expect a piece of it in return." Marco smiled.

All Ace could do was nod. He knew that he probably wouldn't live long enough to have a vivre card of his own made, but he couldn't tell Marco that. So, he kept up the charade that everything was fine, and that they would live happily ever after, because it was what Ace wanted, he just couldn't have it.

Marco left late that night, after giving Ace a farewell kiss and promising again to be back as soon as he could be. Ace had smiled when he said goodbye, but when he got back to their room that smile was gone. He would be alone in their room at night for a while and that thought made him miserable. He almost considered asking someone if he could share a room with them, but he knew that they would only think he was weird. When he lay down to go to sleep, he realized that the bed felt empty without the other man there with him. He tossed and turned for hours until sleep finally took him. In the end, it was Marco's familiar smell on the sheets that lulled him to sleep.

…

Marco didn't keep his promise. That fact was fraying the ends of Ace's sanity. What he felt was anxiety. Perhaps it was because Marco was taking longer than he'd promised and Ace worried because of this. Perhaps it was because Ace worried about Marco not making it back before he had to leave. But, most likely, it was the keen awareness that his demise was quickly approaching that made Ace anxious.

The curse was moving like wildfire across his chest and reached all the way across his body and had started to affect his other arm and leg that had been previously untouched. His whole torso, and his left arm and leg, were all covered with burnt and peeling flesh while the curse just started to consume his right leg and arm. Moving was painful, everything was painful. It made Ace just want to lie in his bed and not move. When he moved the burnt flesh would stick to his clothes and peel off painfully. Showering was near torture, because as the hot water cleaned the burns, it also stung and made his skin throb. The water in the tub would be stained red or pink and it made Ace's stomach turn almost as much as looking in the mirror did. Seeing his own flesh black and flaking off made him feel nauseous.

Ace could feel his eyes starting to produce tears and he grit his teeth, but he couldn't hold them back. He wasn't going to make it back home. The curse was moving too fast. Ace would be surprised if he could move at all by the time they made it to the capital. He wouldn't be able to see Luffy and the others before he died. He would leave behind Marco and the Whitebeards, but he would be highly unlikely to make it back before the curse took his life. Then he would die, with no one with him, all alone. Luffy and the others wouldn't even know that he was gone until time passed and he hadn't returned home. Even Marco would be oblivious as to what would have happened to him. He was sure of it, and that fact made the icy feeling of dread claim his mind completely. It rendered him immobile curled up in the bed where only trace amounts of Marco's scent still clung stubbornly.

He wished that the man would return. He wished that he wasn't just trying to find the man's scent in the sheets he hid under currently. If Marco was here, then he could have calmed Ace down, even with just his presence. He would whisper sweet words and kiss him gently and the pain would dull and melt away. Ace would be comforted by the fact that Marco cared. He just needed one person to care that he was still there, that he was still alive, even if only for the moment.

Ace took the white piece of paper with Marco's name written on it from his pocket with his not yet burnt hand. He could feel it twitching in one direction as he held it, and when he laid it down on the bed in front of him he could watch it crawl across the mattress. In the first two days of Marco's absence, looking at the vivre card made Ace feel less lonely, but now it just reminds him that Marco's somewhere far away.

Ace looked around and the whole room was a reminder of its inhabitant's absence. Ace's anxiety grew as he lay alone in a room that was themed after the man. It was that feeling that made him finally rise from bed, even if he had no place in mind to go. As he left the room he took the vivre card with him he held it in his hand and wandered the ship aimlessly, not really paying attention to where he was going. That was the reason why several minutes later he found himself somewhere he hadn't been before.

He ended up in Whitebeard's throne room. There were two thrones on the ship; one outside so that Whitebeard could sit on deck and watch the happenings on the deck, and one in the room that Ace was currently standing in. This room was where Whitebeard could be found if not on deck or sleeping. But, currently, Whitebeard was nowhere to be seen.

Ace was in a lot of pain. Walking around had caused the cursed areas of his skin to scream and his breath started coming harsher and harsher. With light-headedness sinking in, Ace knew he should take a short rest before trying to go back to his room. He didn't want to become stranded in a hallway where someone would see him and wonder why he was in such terrible shape. If that happened, they would surely take him to the infirmary and the nurses and doctor would take off his coat and see the curse without Marco there to stop them. Therefore, resting in the currently empty throne room made complete sense to Ace. Ace was about to sit down in Whitebeard's throne, but then realized that action would look very strange if someone were to walk in and discover him. Thus, he went around to the back of the throne and sat on the ground with his back leaned against it. Slowly his breaths became easier and he no longer felt lightheaded, but, just as he was going to get up and leave, the door to the throne room was opened and he could hear two people enter. They both had heavy footsteps, but one was much heavier than the other. Ace's breath caught when he heard both sets of footfalls pause.

"Is something wrong, Oyaji?" He heard Jozu ask.

Ace gulped. He knew that Whitebeard had kenbunshoku, which meant that the man already knew that Ace was currently hiding behind his throne. He held his breath to see if Whitebeard would let Jozu know, which might raise some questions.

"Nothing," Whitebeard replied with a smirk. "Would you please tend to the first division? You have to help calm them about Marco taking longer than normal or fights could break out because of their worries. I would have Teach do it, but for some reason the man seems angry and disgruntled about Marco's absence, as well, and sending him would only instigate violence."

"Oyaji, the nurses told me to watch you." Jozu responded. "Since Marco isn't here to keep an eye on your drinking, they're worried that you might try to sneak sake while they aren't around."

"Gurarararara," Whitebeard laughed. "If I promise not to drink anything, will you go to the first division and remind them that their commander is strong and will be back soon?"

Jozu sighed, but knew that arguing would never work. "Alright, since you promised."

Jozu left closing the door behind him, leaving Ace and Whitebeard alone in the throne room. Whitebeard sat down in his chair before addressing the boy hiding behind it. "What brings you here, Ace?"

"I was just taking a walk." Ace answered honestly but shortly. "I'm having trouble staying in a room that reminds me that I'm alone with everything in it."

"Marco will return." Whitebeard stated, "And you are not alone."

"I am." Ace stated stubbornly.

"But you don't have to be." Whitebeard retorted wisely. "You've locked yourself in Marco's room and haven't left, unless you had to, since he left. Marco isn't the only one on this ship that cares about you. Thatch, Izou, Jozu, Haruta, and many others would be happy to spend time with you. Although it may not be the same way that Marco does, they also care for you."

"They only accept me because Marco does. No one cares about me because they like me. They care about me because Marco does." Ace argued.

"Why do you think that?" Whitebeard asked in a concerned tone.

"I saw it the day that they found out about my father." Ace replied. "Thatch even said that he was trusting Marco's instincts about me. Marco's the only one that got close to me on purpose. Everyone else was forced to get used to me because Marco kept me around. Everyone's still wary of me. They don't know me so they think that I'm not to be trusted. I'm alone here without him with me."

"Did you ever consider that they might be wary of you because you are still wary of them?" Whitebeard inquired and when Ace was about to speak he continued. "You haven't really tried to get close to anyone besides Marco either. Even on that rainy day, when he sent you to spend time with everyone else. You spent the whole day trying to figure out why he was depressed and then trying to cheer him up. Also, you wear your coat all the time and you never let anyone see the actual you. You don't smile often, even though we all know you are a bright and cheerful individual, based on the idea you came up with to make everyone happy on that same rainy day. You act like you don't want anyone close to you, so the others sense that and stay away." Whitebeard paused briefly to take a bottle of sake out from underneath the throne and take a swig of it. "But that doesn't mean that it has to stay that way. The others are waiting to see if you'll let them in like you have Marco. They care, but they need to know what you want Ace."

Ace could feel the prick of tears in his eyes. "I don't know if I can have what I want."

"What would stop you? Your heritage, no one cares about that." Whitebeard took a deep breath. "We could be your family, Ace. The others want you to join our family and so do I. We already think of you as our family, even if you've only spent a short while with us. If you join our family, you won't have to be alone or hated ever again."

"No," Ace screamed as the tears fell over his eyes. "I don't want that! I don't want a family and I don't want a father! My brothers are my only family and that's all I need. I don't want anything else."

The need to leave the room filled Ace and it seemed to make his breath catch in his throat like he couldn't breathe. No, he didn't want that. He hated his father; he hated him because he was the reason Ace couldn't be free. He would always be hated as that man's son. Everyone thought that he shouldn't have been born. If people knew who he was then he would be killed. He'd found a few people who didn't care but everyone else thought, knew, that the world would be a better place if only he hadn't been born. Why then, would he want a father? Why would he want to become part of this family? Sure, Marco didn't care, and the others seemed not to, but they might just be hiding their disgust for Marco's sake. Then there was the curse. He couldn't be part of this family, even if he wanted to, because once they found out about him being cursed and lying to them, even Marco would hate him. Or worse, he would cause one of the very few, special people who loved him regardless of his birth an unfathomable amount of pain just to save himself. He didn't deserve to be saved. He shouldn't have been born, so why should he cause Marco pain just to continue his life. He couldn't do that. He'd rather die than do that, especially since he loved Marco. Yes, he could admit it to himself. He loved Marco, the last phoenix, a royal, whom was perfect and loving and accepting and too good for someone like him in every way.

Ace stood and wiped the tears from his face before walking out from behind the throne and towards the door. His thoughts were dark. He felt as though he was being crushed by pressure. He needed to get back to the room he and Marco shared before his walls crashed down around him and everyone saw how weak he was. Whitebeard watched in a saddened silence as Ace left, wondering if he had said something wrong or if the idea of family was just that revolting to Ace. But he sensed as though he wasn't getting the full picture, as if Ace was still hiding something infinitely dark inside himself and that it needed to come out for him to be happy. Now, even Whitebeard started to wish his first commander would hurry up and come home already. It seemed like things were nearly falling apart without him.

When Ace made it back to the bedroom, he was instantly overcome with depression, sadness, and guilt. He barely made it to the bed before he succumbed to his emotions and cried openly curling in on himself again and trying to block out all of his terrible thoughts. He cried into a pillow, in hopes to dampen the sounds so those passing by wouldn't hear. But outside Thatch and Izou paused and shared an expression of empathy.

"Marco needs to come back soon." Izou said. "Ace is coming apart at the seams without him. He won't come out of their room. I want to say something and cheer him up, but I don't know what to say."

"I think if we tried anything it might make him feel worse. What should we say? We don't really even know why he's upset." Thatch agreed. "Hopefully, birdbrain can figure it out when he gets home." Izou nodded, but as they walked away both men felt guilty that they couldn't help the younger man through whatever was making him this way.

…

It had been twelve days since Marco left and only three days remaining until they reached the capital. The curse had claimed Ace's entire torso and was starting to trail down his right arm and leg. He could barely move, but Ace had taken to waiting on deck for Marco to return. After staying in Marco's room had proved to be detrimental to his health and he didn't want to repeat the conversation he'd had with Whitebeard, he thought it was safer to be on deck. So, he would sit on the deck and wait staring at the view in the direction that the vivre card told him Marco was in, but the sun had set some hours ago, and Ace's narcoleptic brain was telling him he needed sleep by causing him to fall into it every once in a while. He had not slept well since he'd cried after the talk with Whitebeard, even though his body had been extremely exhausted afterwards. He could no longer smell Marco in the bed and had taken to pulling one of the man's shirts out of his dresser to find his scent there. That was an action even Ace could admit was extremely creepy to do, but it was the only thing that could help him fall asleep.

Ace stared into the night before giving up and lying back, painfully, onto the deck and staring up at the stars. That was when he noticed a very beautiful, bright blue star and it appeared to be getting closer. Mentally, Ace paused and wondered how a star could be getting closer, and then he could make out the shape of the star and bolted into a standing position.

It was Marco. He was back, finally! Ace wanted to cry because he was so happy but a huge bright smile broke out on his face instead. As he got closer, Marco flapped his wings to slow down before landing on the deck and changing back to his human form. He was immediately assaulted with a tight hug and Ace's face buried in his neck. Ace had to fight the almost undeniable urge to feed, but it was worth it to have Marco back. Marco held Ace close, unknowingly causing him some pain, but Ace didn't care if it hurt.

"I missed you so much!" Ace admitted. "What took you so long?"

"There were more enemies than the council had said there was." Marco replied but then apologized. "I'm sorry, Ace."

Marco gently kissed away the tears that had started to leak from Ace's eyes before claiming his mouth with a long, deep kiss. Ace sighed, feeling content to have the other next to him. Marco smiled against his mouth before pulling away. He looked at Ace and frowned. Marco could see that Ace wasn't feeling well. His visible skin was unnaturally pale and the boy seemed exhausted even by just standing. He could hear and feel Ace pant within his arms and see the sweat collecting on his brow even though the night was cool.

"Are you alright?" Marco asked in a worried tone.

"I should be asking you that." Ace joked before receiving an unappreciative look from Marco. "I haven't been sleeping very well lately."

Marco hesitated before nodding and seemed to accept the answer. "Then let's get to bed."

Ace nodded in agreement while joining his un-burnt hand with one of Marco's as they walked back to the room. Ace's heart was filled with worries. Would Marco notice how terrible he had gotten? Would the curse be revealed? He tried to calm himself as they returned to their room and crawled into bed. He reminded himself that he only had to hide the curse for three more days. Then, he would leave and Marco would be free of the burden of having to heal him. He could save Marco from that pain if he could just hide it for three more days. Even if the curse had progressed too far for him to make it home to Luffy, at least he would have done one decent thing in his life by saving Marco from saving him.

…

_**Alrightly then. Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews. I really enjoy reading them. I also find that when you guys ask questions, some of which I reply to, I actually by thinking about the questions get new ideas to make the story better. Just for one example Azuresea8 asked me about Sabo and through that I ended up coming up with an idea for what I'm going to do with him. So please don't be afraid to ask question I will try to answer those I can without ruining the story. **_

_**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. -LPC**_


	13. Chapter 12

When Marco woke up he hadn't been surprised that his boyfriend was still asleep. Ace had a tendency to over sleep and he had said that he hadn't been sleeping well while he was gone. Admittedly, Marco felt a little guilty about that and about not returning as soon as he promised. So, Marco had left the sleeping boy lie. But now, it was nearing noon and the boy was still dreaming the day away. It made Marco worry, at the very least he was going to wake the boy up and make him eat something. The boy didn't like to skip meals with his endless appetite.

Ace was kissed awake gently and smiled softly looking up at the blond. Marco smiled in return. Ace moved to sit up before remembering what condition his body was in. As he sat up the contraction of his abs caused pain to tear through him as the burns were irritated. He flinched slightly before he could stop himself. Marco noticed.

"Are you alright, yoi?" He asked in concern.

"Yeah," Ace lied with a smile. "I just must have slept weird."

Marco nodded. "You did sleep for a long time. It's almost noon. I wanted to let you sleep, since you said that you hadn't gotten much sleep while I was gone, but you should eat something." Ace nodded as Marco retrieved the plate of food from the desk and handed it to Ace. "Are you still tired?"

Ace thought quickly and replied with an advantageous answer. "Yeah, I feel like I could sleep for a week." If he said that he was still tired, maybe that would convince Marco to let him stay in bed. If he could stay in bed, then he could hide the pain of the curse much easier, since he wouldn't have to move as much.

"Well, you can't sleep that much, yoi." Marco chuckled. "But, I guess, one day wouldn't be too bad."

"Are you going to stay with me?" Ace asked. He truly did want to spend as much time with Marco as he could before he would have to leave, and die.

Marco smiled gently and came to sit with Ace as he started eating. He noticed that Ace didn't eat with as much enthusiasm as he normally did and frowned. "I will in a minute." He said. "I have to report to Oyaji, since I haven't yet, and talk to a couple other people then I'll come back and nap with you." Ace smiled and Marco placed a kiss to his temple. "I'll be right back."

Ace found himself sighing in relief as Marco closed the door. _Just two more days, _he thought to himself. He only had to hide the curse for two more days and then they would reach the capital and he could leave. When he left, Marco would be free. He wouldn't have to worry about being in pain to heal Ace. He could just go back to living his life in freedom. The pain caused by the curse was intense, so intense that it made Ace feel like he was going to vomit. Normally, he would dive face first into his food, but currently with the curse eating away at most of his body, he didn't feel like eating. Also, food made him think of Luffy.

He knew that he couldn't make it back to the Air Nation, not with the short amount of time he had left to live. He thought that he would send a letter to Luffy when he reached the capital. He wanted his younger brother to know that he was gone, so that Luffy wouldn't wait for him to return when he was already gone. He knew that it would be hard to write and even harder for Luffy to read. He knew that his beloved younger brother would be heartbroken by his death; and that he hadn't kept his promise. He wondered if Luffy would come looking for him anyway. He was the type of person to do something like that.

Ace carefully sets his food aside, even though he's not eaten much and that might cause Marco to become even more worried. He could always say that he was homesick, which was true. He desperately wished that he could make it home. He just wanted to see Luffy's smile one more time before he died. It was something he wanted from deep within his soul. He'd have to apologize in his letter for leaving Luffy alone. Tears formed in his eyes rather unexpectedly. He hadn't thought that he would have any left. He berated himself internally. He needed to accept the fact that he was dying and that would also mean accepting that he was leaving Luffy behind. He curled into himself again, hugging his knees, and hoped that he would be asleep and his tears would be gone before Marco returned to notice them.

…

Marco was on the deck when a shiver ran down his spine and nervousness coiled in his stomach. He didn't like how the air felt. It felt tense and thick. It felt like something bad was about to happen. Marco stopped on his way across the deck to where Whitebeard was sitting and looked over the railing of the ship. Not a single other vessel to be seen. It was just them on the large river and the shore beyond that. Marco narrowed his eyes but shook his head. He had to be imagining things.

"What is it, Marco?" Whitebeard asked as his noticed his first commander's strange actions.

"Nothing Oyaji," Marco replied, "I just feel like something bad is about to happen."

Little did they know, far below the deck, in one of the storerooms, Teach spoke into a den den mushi with a maniacal smile on his face. Marco had returned from his mission, which meant that Teach was able and eager to start his plan. All the pieces were in their places. All he needed to do was initiate his plan. Soon, he would sit from a high position and watch as war consumed the Earth Nation, as the Dark and Fire Nation's forces decimated the land. And what would he get for bringing about such a war, well, a position within the Dark Council of course! Yes, he would be treated as the royals were for the rest of his life. He would have the power to make those who had once thought of him as weak cower before him. He would ensure Whitebeard's demise. The Earthquake King would fall and the Teach would be worshiped like a king. He was sure of it. Now, all he had to do was begin the plan that would lead to his glorious future.

"It's time to begin," Teach said sadistically with malice dripping from his words.

"You got it, boss." A voice responded.

Teach started to laugh insanely and the echoes spread throughout the room. His eyes glinted dangerously and his face split with the largest evilest smile he could manage. Quickly darkness poured off of his body and followed his bidding. It quickly filled the room and then flowed out of it until it coated the floor, but it did not stop. It continued to fill the ship taking away the ability to see from all of those who were trapped in it.

The darkness quickly reached the deck. Marco looked at it with narrowed eyes. That darkness could only come from one man. It made him wonder what Teach was thinking. Whitebeard stood up from his thrown in preparation for a fight. Just before the darkness reached him and took away his sight, Marco saw a vessel had materialized right beside the Moby. Marco gritted his teeth. They were under attack and most of their forces would be useless due to lack of sight. The darkness reached him, leaving him without his sight to determine what was around him, but that didn't worry him. Marco used his kenbunshoku haki frequently; therefore he would still be able to tell everything around him. That also included what the enemy ship was doing.

A loud sound of cannon fire and then the sound of an explosion rung through the air and made Marco's muscles become tense. The blast had hit the Moby directly, but no other cannon fire followed. They had only shot once. Marco focused his haki and he could sense two people on the other vessel invade the Moby. A shiver ran through his body then as he realized where on the ship the enemies had fired on. That was exactly where his room was. Ace was resting in his room.

"Shit, Ace," Marco exclaimed as he took off in a sprint back to his room with only his haki allowing him to travel back the way he'd come.

The explosion had occurred right by Ace and it made his ears ring. Thankfully, he'd not been hurt by the explosion, but he had no way of seeing in the pure, pitch black darkness. He coughed as the smoke from the explosion was inhaled through his lungs. He tried to get out of the bed, but without his vision he ended up falling to the floor and colliding with it painfully. "Fuck," he cursed at the pain.

Ace tensed as he heard people land on the floor of the room. He assumed that they'd entered through the hole that the explosion had opened. He shakily stood and growled. He couldn't see, but that didn't mean that he couldn't fight back. Yes, he was almost certain that he couldn't fight for long, not with the curse, but he had to at least try. Hopefully, he could delay them long enough for others to arrive to help him. Ace wrapped himself in fire, although it did nothing to expel the darkness, and quickly shifted to his true form. In his large and flaming wolf form, Ace snarled viciously in the direction that the sound had originated from.

"No wonder boss said it wouldn't be easy." A voice from the darkness said.

"Yes, a Dip surely isn't defenseless prey." Another voice commented, sounding a bit more uppity, "But we have both numbers and the advantage of sight. Let's hurry, Burgess. We don't know how long Boss will keep the darkness going."

"You're right; we don't want to let the boss down." The first voice, Burgess, agreed.

A gunshot rang out and Ace felt a bullet penetrate his shoulder. He lashed out in the direction the bullet had come from but caught nothing but air in his teeth. Ace heard someone approaching from his side and whipped around to bite in the direction but the hidden assailant dodged the blind attack easily. The attacker then punched Ace's side, hard. Ace yelped at the impact to the burnt area as it felt that one of his ribs was cracked from the attack as well.

"Careful, Burgess," The second voice from before chided. "Boss said that he wanted him alive."

"Right, sorry," Burgess grunted in response. "I'll finish this up quickly. The damn wolf burnt my hand."

Ace growled again and bore his teeth. He expanded the fire around him as much as he could; he hoped to catch his attacker in it. Obviously, the attacker didn't care if he sustained a few injuries, as a combination of punches had followed quickly after Ace had expanded the fire. Each hit felt like it was breaking another of his ribs and the burnt area throbbed in intense pain. Ace gasped at the pain and was forced to shift back to his human form as the attack threw him against the wall. His fire dispersed and he panted heavily as he lay on the floor, unable to move anymore. He was pulled to his feet by his hair and he could feel the breath of the attacker on his face due to the other's closeness. He raised his fist to hit the other, but it was caught quickly and forced into a handcuff. Ace could feel the handcuff drawing away his energy. His other hand soon followed his first into the cuffs.

"Not so resisting now are you?" Burgess snidely remarked. Ace's chin was lifted by the man and he tried to stare defiantly into the darkness. He heard the opposition chuckle. "I can see why the phoenix likes this one. Not only is he fucking hot, but he's also quite feisty. I would fuck him."

"In your dreams, asshole," Ace hissed. Then, Burgess hit him in the stomach making him lose his breath and cough violently. He could taste iron in what he coughed up. It must have been blood. Ace couldn't help but smirk. Sure he was a prisoner now but he wanted to fight back anyway he could. "I bet you're one ugly motherfucker." He was rewarded for his comment with another hit to the side of his head. The impact made him fall to the floor again painfully.

"Burgess, he's trying to delay us by getting under your skin. Ignore him." The second voice reminded.

"Shut up, Van Augur," Burgess shouted. "I'm not stupid."

"Ace," Marco's voice called through the darkness.

"Marco," Ace yelled in reply, only to receive a kick in the ribs for his trouble.

"Hurry and grab him, Burgess, we can't afford a confrontation with the phoenix in this stage of the plan." Augur ordered.

"Yeah I got it." Burgess stated and roughly dragged Ace up by the wrists. Ace opened his mouth the scream again when Burgess added. "If you make another sound, I'll beat the shit out of you until you can't even remember his name." Ace bit his lip but kept silent.

Marco threw open the door to the room. He could sense two men, a large one and a skinny one. The skinny one was holding a rifle while the other was dragging Ace. Marco raced forward and reached out to grab Ace when he was shot three times. His flames instantly awoke to heal him from the bullets that passed through him but the velocity of them forced Marco back a step. His fingers just brushed Ace's arm. The large man was swift to haul Ace away then. Quickly, the two men, while dragging Ace, jumped off of the Moby. Marco moved to follow them when he realized that he could no longer sense them. Their presences just vanished, and they took Ace with them.

…

Ace collided roughly with the concrete floor Burgess had thrown him down to. He cried out at the impact and coughed up more blood onto the hard gray floor. Ace didn't understand how they had gotten here from the Moby. One second everything was black and the next he could see again and they were in a concrete room with no windows. He had no idea where they were. He inhaled painfully. He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up when he saw a shoe in front of his face. He looked upwards to see a familiar man gazing down at him with a malicious smile.

"Teach," Ace asked frowning.

The man laughed at Ace's stunned and confused expression. "Yes Ace, It's me. Are you surprised?"

"A little," Ace admitted slowly as tried to stand but was forced back to his knees by Burgess placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back down. This forced him to look up at the man standing over him and made Teach smile evilly. "Why did you bring me here?"

"You mean why did I kidnap you?" Teach replied sarcastically. "I promise it has very little to do with you. You were just too perfect of bait to pass up."

"Bait," Ace ground through his teeth. "This is about Marco, isn't it?"

"Oh," Teach chuckled, "You're better than just a pretty face. You're smart as well. Of course this is about Marco, although, the man is just a means to an end for me. You are just the means to a means to an end." Teach paused for a second letting his words sink in. "I was originally going to use Thatch as bait, but then Marco just fell for you so wholeheartedly and easily that I couldn't pass the opportunity up."

"Bait," Ace repeated in a questioning tone. "I thought that you were a part of Whitebeard's Army. Everyone is supposed to be a family, so, why are you using me as bait for Marco? I thought you were his ally."

Teach laughed again. "I know. I convinced all of those fucking fools that I was part of their 'family'." He air quoted the word. "Those idiots, they completely trusted me. It was fairly easy too. Marco was the last one to accept me, but, eventually, he also caved and accepted me. He didn't realize that my whole mission was to reveal what he is to Akainu."

Ace's eyes widened and he felt the blood in his veins freeze with the words Teach said. His face obviously showed his shock and dread as Teach and his henchmen exploded into laughter around him.

"Why," Ace couldn't help but ask. Then he raised his voice and screamed at the man he'd thought was a friend. "Why would you do that? Akainu will torture Marco if he finds out that he's the last blue phoenix." Ace cried out. "Marco didn't do anything wrong. Why would you sentence him to that fate when he's done nothing to deserve it?"

Burgess kicked Ace in the ribs again and sent him sprawling onto the concrete floor. Then, he was grabbed by his hair and hauled to his feet. "Fucking slut," Burgess cursed. "You won't talk in that tone to our boss, do you understand?" Burgess dropped Ace and he fell to the floor again as he was too injured and drained from the sea-stone handcuffs to keep standing.

"Why would I do that?" Teach asked with a smirk. "Don't you understand it yet? This was my intention from the beginning." Teach met Ace's hateful glare easily and explained. "You see, I joined Whitebeard's Army for my own purposes. I'm actually from the Dark Nation. I went by Blackbeard there, but no one would respect me. They didn't think I was strong enough to do anything. But then the Dark Nation started fighting the Earth Nation for their land. The Dark Council offered a seat on the Council and the status of royalty to whomever could lead to the defeat of the Earth Nation. Moria was once my comrade, but then he decided to try to claim the seat by force alone. My plan is much better."

Teach walked over to Ace and placed his foot on Ace's ribs, causing Ace to hiss in pain. Teach put more and more weight onto his foot until Ace screamed and he heard another of his ribs crack. He lifted his foot then and crouched down to look Ace in the eyes. "My plan is flawless. I'm going to hand Akainu the fact that Marco is the last blue phoenix and offer him an alliance with the Dark Nation. Together, Akainu with the Fire Nation and I with the Dark Nation will destroy Whitebeard and the Earth Nation. Once I make that alliance, I'll become royalty and obtain a seat on the Council. No one will be able to look down at me anymore. I'll be feared and worshiped."

"Akainu won't believe you." Ace choked. "He won't believe that Marco's the phoenix. You have no proof."

Teach stood above him and glowered at Ace, who still stared up at him in defiance. He turned to Burgess. "Burgess," he said, "I still don't think our friend Ace understands the position he's in. Could you make sure things are clear?" He asked politely causing Ace's eyes to widen.

"Of course," Burgess obliged with an evil smirk.

Ace squeezed his eyes closed and braced for the hit he was sure was coming. Burgess stomped his foot down on Ace's left shin; the one that was already burnt from the curse. The force snapped the two bones and Ace screamed and reached out his cuffed hands to try to stop the pain, even though he knew it was a useless gesture. Burgess took his foot away from his leg and left Ace breathing through his teeth. His vision was being clouded by black spots.

"You are right though," Teach continued as if he hadn't ordered Burgess to punish Ace. "Akainu won't believe me unless I have proof. After all, he wouldn't want to start a war with the Earth Nation unless he knew that the phoenix was in Whitebeard's Army. But, take a look around you Ace. What do you see?" He asked while holding arms in a wide gesture.

Ace followed his hands and looked at the concrete room around him. What he saw made his eyes widen and him gasp in realization. A massive amount of explosives were scattered around the concrete room in large piles with their fuses all joined into one line. At the center of the room, the line ended at a device with an unset timer on it. The whole room was a bomb waiting to go off. Then heavy duty cameras, which Ace had no doubt could survive the explosion that would happen, were littered on the walls.

"This-" Ace broke off.

Teach's grin distorted his face. "Yes, this is the trap that will lead to Marco's downfall and to my victorious future and you will be the perfect bait to lure him here." Ace shook his head back and forth with tears starting to collect in his wide eyes. "Marco will come here to save you and he'll be caught in the explosion which I'll set off via a remote that will activate the timer. You'll both be caught in the blast, which will force Marco to use his phoenix powers to survive. He'll be caught on these cameras and I'll receive a digital copy of the video. It will be the perfect evidence to get Akainu to join us in destroying the Earth Nation." Teach sighed sarcastically. "It's unfortunate that I can't guarantee that you'll survive."

Ace was silent as he felt dread claim him. Would Marco come for him? Sure, Marco had said that he cared about him but he'd been hiding who he was his whole life. Ace could only hope that Marco wouldn't come. He hoped that Marco would leave him to die and save himself. He planned to die anyway so what did it matter if it was now or later? He wouldn't get to write his letter to Luffy, but Marco would be safe. He closed his eyes and prayed to any god that would listen that Marco wouldn't come. Teach's voice interrupted his prayers.

"I have always wondered," Teach said thoughtfully. "Why do you wear that coat all the time?" Ace's eyes flew open at the question. Teach continued, "You're obviously attractive, so why would you hide? I'm quite curious. Burgess," He called, "I want you to remove Mr. Portgus's coat."

"My pleasure," Burgess answered.

As the man approached him, Ace tried to back away from him as much as he could with his injuries. It didn't work though, because quickly Burgess was straddling him and gripping his coat with both hands. Ace closed his eyes and turned his face away as the fabric was torn apart revealing the burnt, black, blistering, and peeling skin on his chest. He could hear Teach start to laugh insanely.

After he was done, Teach cooed, "Oh, poor Marco." Teach looked down at Ace as Burgess pulled the coat completely apart revealing more and more cursed skin and leaving Ace shirtless with just his shorts and shoes. "He doesn't even know that you were just using him too." Teach continued. "He truly loves you and you only came to save yourself. I'm not sure who I should feel sorrier for, you or him." Ace bit his lip and tired to keep from crying. Burgess removed himself from Ace in disgust and Ace curled in on himself painfully.

"Poor bastard's cursed." Burgess commented snidely.

"Makes me wonder," Teach said as he thought. "Why didn't you have Marco heal you when he revealed himself to you? Why do you remain cursed when Marco could easily heal you?"

Ace said nothing until Burgess ground his foot into his broken leg. "Answer," Burgess ordered.

Ace spoke his words as strongly as he could manage with the pain he was in. "I didn't want to cause him pain." He gasped.

Teach made a face of utter contempt. "You love him too," he said with a voice coated is disgust. "That's why you refuse to tell him. You know that if he heals you it will cause him nearly insurmountable pain. So, you decided to keep it from him and die to save him from that." Teach spit near Ace's face. "You're disgusting." Teach sighed dramatically. "Well, at least you'll serve your purpose well." Then he smiled. "And, I'll get to see Marco's horrified expression when he realizes what you had planned to do. He'll be heartbroken in more ways than one. It's just icing on the cake." Teach's laughter echoed through the room as Ace lost himself in despair.

…

It had been an hour since the darkness had dispersed and Marco couldn't help but pace the deck in tension. Ace was gone. He'd been kidnapped. Marco had been so close to stopping it from happening, but he hadn't been fast enough. As Marco paced, he gnawed on his thumb with anxiety. He had no idea what the intruders wanted with Ace. He didn't know if Ace was alive, or dead, or being tortured as he walked back and forth being able to do nothing to help him. He did know one thing and that was that Teach had disappeared as well.

Marco assumed that Teach was behind Ace's abduction since his darkness was used. He had always been leery of Teach. The man's smile had seemed malicious to him when they'd met and it seemed to Marco that Teach was always plotting something. Marco was against letting the man join the family, but Oyaji had made his decision and Marco wasn't able to convince him otherwise.

"Marco, you pacing is not going to bring Ace back home." Whitebeard reminded. "You need to practice patience as you normally do."

"It's difficult when one of our own has betrayed us and then kidnapped Ace." Marco argued potently.

"We are still uncertain what part Teach played in this, although it is very obvious that he played some part. He might have been coerced." Whitebeard replied.

"Something tells me he wasn't coerced, yoi." Marco stated shaking his head.

"Are you thinking that because you have feelings for Ace?" Whitebeard asked.

Marco pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand and the other on his hip. "I'll admit that argument has some merit to it, but I've also thought that Teach wasn't to be trusted since he joined our family."

Whitebeard and the rest of the commanders that had gathered on the deck couldn't help but think it was strange to see Marco so out of sorts. Ace hadn't been with them for long, but he obviously had left a powerful imprint on Marco. Thatch and Izou exchanged looks of disbelief. Thatch was certain that if Marco was in his true form at the moment that his phoenix feathers would be sticking up and ruffled. Whitebeard sighed as he looked at his first commander as he continued his nervous pacing.

A loud 'purapurapurapura' drew their attention to the mast. There, stored in a metal compartment, was a den den mushi that was currently ringing annoyingly. The sound startled everyone and caused many of those gathered to jump in fright. Marco glared at the little snail phone with righteous fury. Marco stalked up to the phone and picked up the round receiver.

"Who is this?" Marco growled only to be met with laughter on the other end of the line.

The laughter stopped and Teach spoke. "Is something wrong, Marco? You seem a little angry. Is it because I took your boyfriend?"

"Teach," Marco snarled as his anger rose.

"You might want to control the tone of your voice a bit more, Marco." Teach threatened. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to Ace due to your impudence."

Marco's eye twitched as he ground his teeth together. He barely held back the urge to punch the mast or start cursing. He took a deep sustaining breath and held back his fury. Mentally though, he promised himself that after he got Ace back he would slowly and painfully disembowel the man on the other side of the line.

"You're the one that took Ace." Marco stated.

"Yes," Teach affirmed. "Are you surprised? Ace surely was to find out that I was the one who had orchestrated his kidnapping. It was quite amusing when he asked why I was betraying everyone. But, I was never on your side. I was never part of your stupid excuse for a family. Truthfully, the whole idea of your family absolutely disgusts me." Marco wanted to tell Teach off right then. Someone did not abduct his boyfriend and insult his family in the same day and get away with it. Teach was going to pay. "Anyway, that's not the point," Teach continued. "I think you know that I wouldn't have taken Ace if I had no reason."

"What do you want, yoi?" Marco asked tensely.

Teach chuckled darkly and made everyone on deck's muscles tense immediately. "What do I want?" Teach repeated. "I want power dear Marco, but a better question is what do you want." Teach paused. "See, I'm just wondering, what's more important to you, your secret or Ace's life?"

There was an absence of people breathing on the Moby as everyone processed what Teach had said. Teach started laughing in the silence. In the cement room, Ace watched Teach's body shake with the force of his laughter. Ace bit his lip and hoped that Marco would answer that his secret was more important, because it was. Ace could barely breathe with his injuries but he wanted to scream.

"What are you talking about?" Marco said slowly in a low voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" Teach questioned. "I'm asking which you would choose. Is your secret worth more than Ace's life?" Teach turned to look at Ace's pained expression as he waited for an answer.

There was a brief pause until Marco spoke in a strong confident voice. "Of course Ace's life is more important, yoi. Who in their right mind would let someone die just to keep a secret?"

Those gathered on the Moby's deck had a wide range of responses. Thatch seeing where the conversation was going, started to approach Marco and opened his mouth to speak when Izou held him back. A few others eyes were widened in fear at what those words meant. Whitebeard, however, watched Marco with pride. Yes, this would have major repercussions, but his son was willing to put his own being at risk for the person he loved. How could he not be proud of that? On the inside, Whitebeard took a second to congratulate himself on raising such a good son and man.

"I thought that you would say something like that." Teach nodded. "You're such a goody-two-shoes, of course you couldn't leave someone you care about to die to protect yourself. Alright, since I'm such a good person, I'll give you two hours to save Ace. I'm currently in a building on the uninhabited island of Tigris."

"That's too far away for us to make it in time." Thatch commented in the background.

"No," Teach retorted. "It's too far for the Moby to make it in time. Marco could make it within the time limit, if he flies." Teach and his cohorts, as well as those on the Moby were surprised when they heard a voice ring out.

"Don't do it, just leave me here! It's a trap!" Ace yelled in his last hopes to convince Marco to let him die.

"Ace," Marco shouted in response.

Teach clicked his tongue and motioned with his head towards Ace while giving Burgess a look. Burgess said nothing, but approached Ace again. Those on the Moby heard the large man's footsteps. Marco and the others were too focused on trying to hear everything they could, to say anything. Ace braced for a hit again as Burgess stomped down on his other leg, breaking the bones and producing a loud snapping sound. Ace couldn't hold back the scream as more pain clouded his consciousness. Everyone on deck flinched at the snapping sound and many felt tears prick their eyes at Ace's scream. Marco's face went pale and he could no longer contain the blue flames that itched to comfort him. The blue flames started to roll off of his body. Those close enough to him felt the cool flames brush against their feet.

"I wouldn't follow his suggestion, that is, if you care about his well-being." Teach said. "I'm starting your two hour time limit now. You don't want to know what we'll do to him if you don't come, but I promise you that he won't die peacefully. And by 'if you don't show up' I also mean if someone else comes in your place."

There was a ca-cha from the den den mushi signaling that Teach had hung up. Marco was quick to change his arms into wings as he dropped the receiver, but he was tackled before he could get off of the ground. Thatch tackled him to the deck and tried to shake him into some common sense.

"Are you stupid?" Thatch asked while yelling. "This is a trap. Ace even said it was. If you do this Akainu will find out about you and you will start a war. Is that what you want? Oyaji can't protect you if Akainu finds out that you exist. Akainu will come after you and the whole Earth Nation would have to fight to even try to save you. The Dark Nation is already fighting us and you want to let Akaniu know about you. Marco, this will start a war and we won't be able to win."

Marco threw Thatch off of him with a kick and stood to yell back at the man. "So, you want me to just leave Ace to die, yoi?"

"I'm asking if one fucking life is worth the thousands that will be lost if a war starts!" Thatch retaliates, but then silence falls. Everyone is holding their breaths for Marco's answer.

Marco, with his flames covering him completely slowly stalks towards Thatch and, once he's within range, punches him in the face. Rage is burning in Marco's eyes when he finally answers. "I never asked to be protected, yoi! Ace is important to me. If I have to show myself to save him, then so be it. What Akainu does afterward doesn't scare me; because I'll drown in the ocean before I let my family die for me. If he comes after me, and the Earth Nation can't handle his forces, then I'll turn myself over. I want to be free, but if I have to sacrifice that freedom for everyone else, then I won't hesitate." Marco took a deep breath and glared at his brother. "But, I've hid from Akainu for too long. If he wants me, he can come and try to take me, yoi. I'll kill him myself before he touches anyone I love."

"Gurararararara," Whitebeard's laugh echoed through the silence after Marco's speech. "Well said, my son. I am a little disappointed that you don't have more faith in us. Marco, we are a family for a reason and our family includes Ace as well. We don't leave our family behind. If Akainu comes for you we, the Earth Nation, and all of our allies, will stand with you. You don't need to take on everything by yourself. You are strong, but you are not indestructible." Whitebeard paused and exchanged a small smile with Marco and a nod. "Now, go get my newest son and bring him home."

Without another thought Marco took off into the sky as his true phoenix form. He held the words his father had said close to his heart as he flew at full speed in the direction of Tigris. _Just hold on, Ace._

…

_**I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one shall be out shortly because I really can't wait to start writing it and I have the next two days off of work. :) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews I truly love them.**_

_**-LPC**_


	14. Chapter 13

After Teach hung up, he turned to Burgess again. "Move him to the back wall." He commanded.

Burgess approached Ace again and Ace found that he didn't even have the energy to tense in response. Burgess didn't bother to pick him up; instead, he dragged Ace by his unburned wrist to where Teach had wanted him. As his skin was dragged across the cement floor, it left a trail of blood and small flakes of burnt flesh. To Ace it felt like his skin was painfully being removed layer by layer. But, with his exhaustion, Ace didn't make a sound. He was too tired.

"Are you giving up?" Burgess asked mockingly.

Ace didn't reply, not even a sound. He was giving up. What good would it do for him to struggle? Nothing was within his control anymore. Either Marco would come or he wouldn't, but, either way, there was nothing Ace could do to change anything. He'd tried to warn Marco. He'd tried to make him leave him, but he knew that Marco would come. The way Marco had called his name told him that much. Ace's face crinkled in an expression of sorrow. Why couldn't Marco just leave him to die? Now he was on his way here to rescue him, but then what would happen? Ace was lying on the floor with nothing to cover the blisters and burns that covered most of his body due to the curse. Even if Marco came to save him, it still wouldn't matter. Marco would see the curse and hate him. Ace was sure of that. He would die anyway, so how would anything he could do change anything?

Ace ignored Burgess and looked around the room. Many of Teach's cohorts had already left, only Teach and Burgess were left. Teach was setting the timer for twenty seconds. It seemed, to him, to be a fair amount of time to give Marco to make it to Ace once he entered the room. Burgess grabbed a rope from the top of a pile of explosives and in doing so dislodged a blanket that was beside it. The blanket fell to the floor a couple feet away from Ace. Burgess tied the rope around the chain linking each of the cuffs on Ace's handcuffs and, then tied the other end around a pipe that was affixed to the wall. While Burgess was tying the rope around the pipe, Ace reached out, trying to grab the blanket that was on the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" Burgess asked in intimidation causing Ace to pause.

"Let him have it, Burgess." Teach said barely looking at the two. "It won't matter, we've already won and he knows that."

Ace grabbed the blanket and shrouded himself in it. He had to curl up as much as he could to fit under the ratty material. He knew that it wouldn't hide the curse from Marco. He knew that it would only delay him from seeing it, but it was the only thing he could do.

…

Marco flew as fast as his wings could take him. The thoughts bouncing around in his skull only drove him to fly faster and faster. Only one thing mattered: Ace. Would he make it in time? How badly had Ace been hurt? Was Ace even still alive? Marco shook his feathered head to dispel that last one. Ace had to be alive. He just had to be. It had been an hour and forty five minutes now since he left the Moby, but he'd wasted some of the two hour time limit on arguing with Thatch. As the island of Tigris came into view below him, Marco dove sharply onto the deserted island where he could see a simple concrete building stand. He knew that building had to be where Ace was; he felt it in his gut.

Marco landed before the building and quickly changed into his human form before proceeded to kick down the door. He swiftly found that Teach and his associates were not in the room. What Marco was worried about was that room was filled with explosives. A figure was huddled under a blanket at the other end of the room.

"Ace," Marco shouted before he heard a high pitched beep and then another.

Marco turned to the source of the sound and instantly felt like cursing. There was a small digital timer counting down while linked to the lines connected to the explosives. Twelve, eleven, ten; the clock counted down. Marco sprinted into action changing forms again and flying to the crumpled figure. Marco saw the figure stir and raven locks peeked out from under the blanket. Marco wrapped his flaming body around Ace's so that he could protect him from the blast of the explosives. Three, two, one; the explosives hissed and then exploded filling the room with intense heat.

The force of the explosion was intense Ace could feel it even though he was wrapped up in Marco's phoenix flames. The room shook with the blast, but, surprisingly, the walls didn't fall. They must have been reinforced. The flames and force buffeted Marco's body, but the regeneration of his flames kept him, and Ace, from sustaining any injuries. In fact the heat didn't bother Marco at all. Phoenixes loved bathing in fire. It was the force of the explosion that was bothering Marco and almost threw him into the wall. Marco dug his talons into the concrete to stop such an event from happening. The walls didn't fall, but some cracks were opened in them. The end of the rope that was connecting the pipe and Ace's handcuffs burned until where it met Marco's cool blue flames. After the explosion, the room was filled with smoke and concrete dust. Ace's body convulsed with coughs, but Marco kept shielding him until he was sure no other explosions would go off and the air had cleared. As Marco shifted back into his human form, a small voice worried him.

"You weren't supposed to come." Ace whispered.

"I couldn't just let you be killed, Ace." Marco replied softly as he extended his hand to ruffle Ace's hair gently. "Ace, I love you, yoi."

"You shouldn't," Ace argued with tears starting to cloud his eyes. "You shouldn't love me and you should've just left me."

"Ace," Marco warned. He didn't like that way Ace was talking about himself.

"No, Marco," Ace started to sob, "I wasn't worth it. I'm not worth it. Teach is going to tell Akainu about you and then he'll come after you. Saving me wasn't worth that. I would have rather died than this. I don't want you to be hurt because you saved me. I don't want to hurt you."

"Stop saying that you aren't worth it," Marco said raising his voice. "Don't you understand it yet? Losing you would be more painful than Akainu killing me. Ace, do you know that old wives tale about how demons who are familiar to each other without meeting were lovers in their past lives? I used to think that it was a load of bullshit, but then I met you. The first time I laid eyes on you, you looked so familiar, yoi. You've had an effect on me ever since. I don't want you to leave and I don't want you to die. When you're with me, I feel complete. You're my soul mate, Ace. From my point of view, you're absolutely worth it."

Ace felt tears run down his cheeks and he couldn't stop them. His whole body hurt; the curse, the injuries, the draining effect of the sea stone; it was all too much. He started to openly cry as he body was wracked with sobs.

"It's okay, Ace." Marco urged. He then reached forward to uncover Ace, trying to get a look at the boy's injuries.

"Don't," Ace screamed.

"It's okay, yoi," Marco repeated but paused. "I just want to take a look at your injuries to see if you can make the trip back to the Moby without feeding or healing you first."

"Please, please don't Marco, please." Ace begged. "Please don't take it off, please."

"Why don't you want me to see you?" Marco asked calmly.

"Because if you see me you'll hate me," Ace shakily admitted. "I don't want you to hate me."

"There is nothing in this world could make me hate you, yoi." Marco assured.

"You haven't seen it yet." Ace muttered bleakly.

Ace froze in place as Marco's hand that had previously had been entangled in his hair traveled down to caress his cheek and stayed there in a show of support. Marco's other hand held the start of the blanket and prepared to gently lift it off of Ace's body. Ace tensed and squeezed his eyes shut. Marco slowly peeled the fabric back revealing Ace's body inch by inch. Ace flinched as he heard Marco gasp suddenly as the first bit of burnt, black, bleeding, peeling, and blistering skin became visible.

Marco's hand paused a brief second in his surprise. He felt tears starting to collect in his eyes as he frowned in concerned confusion. He hoped that it wasn't as bad as it looked, but he was sure that it was. He continued pulling back the blanket and was frightened as the burnt flesh continued all the way down Ace's body. The only places that were untouched by the burns were Ace's right calf, foot, forearm, and hand. The rest of Ace's skin looked as if it was torturous. Marco could barely believe that Ace had succeeded in hiding this from him and the rest of his family.

"This is," Marco whispered in surprise, "Thatch's curse."

Ace opened his eyes slowly and saw Marco's stunned expression. His face was pale and his eyes were wide. He looked horrified, and confused, but what worried Ace was the small speck of anger that was also present in his gaze. Ace wasn't sure what that anger was directed at, but it made his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

"Marco, I-" Ace started.

"Why?" Marco asked softly. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"I just," Ace broke off.

"Is your brother even in the Earth Nation?" Marco asked as he started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"No," Ace admitted in a stutter as his tears leaks freely down his face. "Sabo isn't in the Earth Nation. He's not anywhere. He was a member of the Revolutionary Army but when he was deployed the ship he was on was attacked. There weren't any survivors." Ace paused before using Marco's stunned silence to try to explain. "I thought that you guys would kill me if I told you the truth."

"And the truth was that you were looking for me the whole time, yoi." Marco estimated.

Ace bit his lip and nodded before he turned his face away from Marco. He couldn't look the other in the eyes. All he could expect now was for Marco to walk away and leave him there to die alone. He couldn't go anywhere with two broken legs and even if he had someone to feed from the sea stone hand cuffs prevented him from feeding and healing himself. But Marco wasn't walking away; in fact he wasn't going anywhere.

Marco's thoughts were racing. Okay, so Ace had lied to him, but wouldn't anyone who was in his position? Also, they would have turned Ace away if they had known that he was looking for Marco to get healed. They couldn't risk that Akainu would hear about him in a rumor and come to investigate. After all, that stupid old woman that Marco had healed had already caused problems and he had only healed her because she was an old friend of Oyaji's. So, Ace's lie was easy for Marco to forgive, especially since it was obvious that the guilt was torturing Ace almost as much as the curse was. Marco couldn't help but sigh. He continued to run his fingers through Ace's hair. He was still angry but not that Ace had lied. He was angry that Ace hadn't told him after he knew that he was the last blue phoenix. Marco could've healed Ace right then.

"Can you handle your injuries for the two hour flight back?" Marco asked with a frown firmly in place. He wasn't going to let Ace off the hook that easily.

"You're taking me with you?" Ace couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"Well, if I left you here then you would die and that would defeat the purpose of coming here to save you." Marco informed. "So, yes, Ace, you're coming with me."

"Why?" Ace questioned.

"Because I can't heal you and then fly back, yoi." Marco responded.

"Then don't heal me and fly back alone," Ace shouted through the tears. "Just leave me here."

"What are you talking about?" Marco asked in a loud voice as he lost control of his temper slightly. "I'm taking you back home and then I'm healing you. I admit that you had to lie at the beginning and I'm not angry about that. But if you would have told me that you were cursed when I told you who I was then I would've healed you right then. Ace, I-"

"I don't want you to heal me!" Ace yelled looking into Marco's eyes again.

Marco's eyes widened. Why wouldn't Ace want him to heal the curse? Did he want to die? Marco knew how the curse killed people. It wasn't pleasant and Ace's curse was already covering most of his skin. After that the curse would move deeper into Ace's body burning up muscles and then organs. From rumors Marco knew that it was an excruciating way to die. So, how could anyone want to die like that instead of being cured and living?

"Why," Marco asked.

Ace didn't want to answer, but when he did, it was through clenched teeth that he spoke. "I saw what happens to you when you heal people. You healed Thatch and the pain it caused you-" Ace broke off and shook his head as an echo of Marco screaming in pain echoed through his mind. "I can't do that to you. I don't want to hurt you. I'd rather die than put you through that. This curse is much worse than Thatch's wound was. I don't even want to think about how much pain it would bring you to heal me. I can't do that. I don't want that." Ace could barely speak as he felt his throat closing because of his raging emotions. He turned away from Marco again. "How could I live with myself knowing that I had caused you to be in pain? You screamed at the pain from Thatch's wound. I don't want to be a source of pain for you."

"Idiot," Marco grumbled.

Ace turned to Marco in shock from that insult. When he turned, he was greeted with a sight he hadn't expected. Marco kneeled there with an expression that was between a grimace and a smirk. His blue eyes shined as tears dripped from them. There was a deep sorrow in that expression, but also deep affection. Ace was surprised even more when Marco embraced him and held him close. The embrace hurt, both because of his injuries and from the curse, but that didn't matter. Ace could feel Marco shaking as he cried silently while carding his fingers through Ace's hair. Ace's eyes widened and he, admittedly, didn't quite understand what was happening. Why was Marco crying? Ace felt guilty because he knew that he must be the source of Marco's tears but he was too stunned to be effected by that guilt.

"Marco," Ace whispered as he was held by the blond.

"You're so stupid, yoi." Marco spoke in a tone that was half a sob and half a laugh. "That pain is temporary, Ace. Don't you think that I'd be in more pain if I lost you? Physical pain fades, but emotional pain can last forever. Ace, if you died I would suffer much more than I would if I healed you and you lived. The worst pain that anyone can experience is the pain of losing someone you love with your entire being. I love you, Ace. I don't want to live without you. I haven't known you for long but it feels like I've known you forever. I don't want to lose you, yoi." Marco paused to take a breath and buried his face in Ace shoulder. "Yes, I'll be in pain for a short period of time, but I'd be in pain until the day I die if you died when I could've saved you. I might be being selfish, but I want you to live, Ace. I want you to live, even if it causes you to be wracked with guilt, because I don't want to live without you. Please, live, Ace," Marco pleaded. "Please, put up with that guilt and live regardless of it."

It took a second for Ace to process everything that Marco had said, but eventually it made sense. Marco would be in more pain if he died than he would if he healed him. Ace immediately felt like the biggest idiot in the demonic realm. Marco loved him completely, even though he lied, and Marco wanted him to live even if it would hurt to heal him. Ace wrapped his arms around Marco and latched on to the back of Marco's purple jacket. This is what Marco wanted. He wanted Ace to live, no matter what. Ace couldn't hold back the sobs that shook his whole body then. He cried loud and openly into Marco's shoulder and nodded slightly as he did so. His chest throbbed and felt light at the same time and he felt as though he couldn't breathe. He felt like he was coming apart at the seams with joy. He would live. He'd live for Marco, who cared so much for him that he would endure terrible pain to avoid losing him.

"I'm sorry," Ace sobbed and stuttered. "I'm sorry, Marco. I should have told you. I was stupid. I'm sorry."

"Shhh," Marco hushed him gently. "It's okay Ace. It's alright, yoi."

Marco gently rocked back and forth while whispering softly to Ace. He ran his fingers through Ace's hair and comforted him. He didn't know how long they sat there just soaking up each other's comfort and presence. Eventually Marco's tears had dried up as well as Ace's and they breathed shaky breaths as the sadness was replaced by affection, love, and calm. Marco pulled back and looked into Ace's puffy, but still beautiful, dark eyes and smiled slightly.

"Let's go home, yoi."

Ace nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah," he agreed.

…

As they neared the Moby, Ace couldn't' help but worry. Everyone would see the curse now. They'd know that he had lied. Would they hate him for lying to them? Would they forgive him for causing Marco pain? Would they forgive him for making Marco reveal what he was? Ace worried about all of these things, but he was unable to express his worries as the softness of Marco's fiery feathers and the breeze as they flew lulled him to sleep. He couldn't really be blamed for that seeing as it had been a long day. He fell asleep before they landed and in his sleep he didn't even realize that they'd made it home.

Whitebeard, Thatch, and the other commanders watched as Marco circled the ship a couple times before landing. He did so slowly and carefully as he tried not to harm Ace's numerous injuries and the cursed areas of his skin. As he landed he quickly returned to his human form to stop Ace from sliding off of him and landing on his broken legs. Marco carried Ace piggy-back as the boy continued to sleep, unaware of what was happening. It was dark now and Whitebeard and the others couldn't see Marco very well at first.

"Marco," Whitebeard smiled. "It's good to see you well, and that Ace is with you."

"It's good to be home." Marco said as he walked forward.

As he approached Whitebeard's thrown, Marco stepped into the light and the others present became able to make out the curse that was covering most of Ace's skin. Whitebeard's eyes widened and whispers broke out amongst those gathered on the deck. Marco stood with a calm expression as the others voiced their thoughts.

"Oh my god," Izou breathed as one of his hands went to his mouth and his face went pale.

"I knew it," Thatch muttered.

"Ace," Haruta mumbled through collecting tears.

Whitebeard was silent for while until the mutters and whispers died down. "What are you going to do, Marco?"

"The only thing I can do," Marco said before switching subjects. "Teach wasn't there when I arrived. He and his minions got away, yoi. They'd set explosives, so that they could catch me in my true form on camera. Teach is probably going to show the video to Akainu. We don't have very long before he gets to the Fire capital."

Whitebeard nodded, "We'll need to reach the Earth capital as soon as possible to start preparing for Akainu's forces, but that's not important right now. We can speak about everything tomorrow. For now you need to help Ace before the curse gets any worse. We sealed the hole in your wall and cleaned up the debris. It's not perfect, but we'll have to fix everything else after we reach the capital."

Marco nodded and started walking back to their room. He was mindful not to jostle Ace as he knew that it would cause Ace pain. Marco could already feel that some of Ace's blood from the bullet wound and the burns seeped into his coat. Ace had endured so much torture today, and that fact made Marco worry endlessly about him. The only comfort Marco felt was from the fact that Ace was peacefully asleep and that he now seemed determined to live.

Marco heard footsteps running after him and sighed. He'd hoped to get to his room without having to talk to anyone. All he wanted to do was get Ace healed. He recognized the footsteps, but they belonged to the person that Marco wanted to avoid the most. He felt someone grab his arm and he turned with a sigh to face Thatch.

"Thatch, I'm not interested in talking to you right now." Marco stated blankly.

"I know that you're angry with me, but I was only trying to protect you." Thatch replied. "He lied to you, Marco. How do you know that he's still not lying to you? He could leave after you heal him."

"He's not lying." Marco growled. He knew that Ace was telling the truth. He'd seen how Ace acted. "He lied to us in the beginning because he was trying to find me so that he could be cured. We can't hold that against him because if he hadn't lied we would've turned him away. But, then he could have easily made me heal him when he found out what I was. He didn't though, because he saw how much pain I was in when I healed you and he didn't want to hurt me." Marco took a deep breath to remind himself to speak quietly since Ace was still sleeping. "He told me to leave him to die. I know you don't trust him and I'm not asking you to change your mind. But this is not your decision and you keep acting like it is. This is my choice and I'm choosing to heal him. If he leaves afterward, then that's his decision; right now I just want him to live."

"Marco, I-" Thatch started.

"No," Marco snapped, "just shut up, Thatch." He gestured with his head towards the sleeping boy on his back. "This is your curse. This is what it does to people and not all of them are guilty. Ace wasn't even born when Akainu killed our families and tried to kill us. He's innocent but your curse is killing him. Stop acting like everyone can't be trusted. You're not the only person that's been hurt and you're not the only one still hurting." Marco knew he was saying things he wouldn't normally, just because he was angry, but he couldn't stop himself. "This is the result of your actions. I know that you didn't mean for this to happen, but you act like the people who just want to keep living are terrible people. That's not true, they just want to live. Yet, you think that they're trying to do these terrible things and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being on edge about every person we come into contact with. I want to live normally. I want to stop hiding. I know that it's selfish, but I can't help that. Brother, I neither need nor want your protection. I'm going to fight so that I can be free to live how I want and I want Ace to be there with me. So, just this once, shut up and stay out of it."

Marco walked away from his brother. He still felt his anger burning a hole in his chest, but he didn't allow himself to look back. He left Thatch behind; standing stunned in the hallway. It felt to Thatch like he'd lost Marco since Ace had joined the crew. Before Ace arrived, he had always been the closest to Marco. Marco was the most aloof of Oyaji's sons and therefore, he was a little bit ostracized from everyone else. He was also the strongest, which ostracized him even more. Therefore, Thatch and Oyaji were the two that Marco really confided in. But now Marco was spending all of his time with Ace. Thatch couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous that his brother was being stolen from him. Thatch held back tears as he turned back the way he came.

…

Ace was woken up by Marco laying him down as gently as he could on the bed. Still, when his legs touched the mattress Ace couldn't help but gasp brokenly. Marco flinched at the gasp. Finally, Ace was resting on the bed and sighed dreamily. Marco leaned down and kissed Ace's eyelids before he placed another kiss to his lips. Ace smiled softly.

"Are you ready, yoi?" Marco asked in a husky whisper.

Ace bit his lip. "Yes, but I'm still worried."

"Don't be." Marco responded. "This is what being a blue phoenix means. We're supposed to heal those who are hurt."

"Then why does it have to hurt you so much?" Ace inquired.

"When we heal others, we take the injury inside ourselves with the pain that the person experienced and would experience. We then burn off that pain, which multiplies it significantly before it fades. That's the only way we can heal and also not be harmed ourselves. This is why blue phoenixes have to be strong and have a strong will because otherwise we wouldn't be able to help anyone." Marco explained. "It's the pride of the blue phoenixes to remove other people's pain and leave them healed, yoi. We exist to heal others and I haven't been doing a very good job at following that tradition."

"That's not your fault, though; Akainu would capture you if you went around healing everyone."

"Still, my ancestors would probably not be happy with me if they knew I'd been hiding while letting many innocent people die." Marco said. "But that's okay. You're here now and I can heal you. That's all that matters right now, yoi."

"Will it hurt you a lot?" Ace couldn't help but ask.

Marco paused as he thought about lying to spare Ace the guilt, but he knew it would be better to be honest. "It will," Marco affirmed, "But it will be gone after about a day."

Ace nodded. "I'm sorry."

"This isn't your fault, yoi." Marco said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Ace assured.

"Good, but first we have to get those handcuffs off of you. They'll block my powers." Marco said as he turned to his desk and retrieved his lock-pick, that Haruta had gotten him for his last birthday.

Marco returned and started to work on the lock of Ace's right handcuff. Ace was silent as Marco worked on the cuff. Marco wore a focused expression as he worked and that made Ace smile. It was Marco's usual expression, besides his lazy smile. Ace then remembered earlier, when he'd seen Marco wear a completely different expression, one with tears. He didn't want to see that expression ever again. It scared him that someone so strong could cry so openly, and for his sake no less. The cuff that Marco had been working on let out a click and opened releasing Ace's right hand. Ace saw Marco's face flash quickly with a satisfied smirk.

Marco was gentler with Ace's left hand since it was burnt, black, and covered with blisters. He started working with the left cuff. Ace liked it when Marco smirked. It made the blonde look sexy and confident. Ace lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Marco's strange blond locks and earned a gentle smile in return. He knew that smile wouldn't last through the night because of the pain Marco would be in, but he decided that he would try to make Marco smile as much as possible to make up for it. After all, Ace himself couldn't help but smile back at Marco. Marco wanted him to live and that was all Ace could ask for. The left cuff clicked and snapped open. Marco gingerly laid Ace's hand back down on the mattress after he removed the cuffs and threw them on the floor.

Ace instantly felt some of his strength return to him and sighed in relief, before something else flooded back to him as well. Ace gasped as he felt his thirst return with an irresistible force. He let out a sharp whine as his throat started to burn and his eyes started to hurt. His teeth extended as his demonic nature screamed at him to feed. Marco looked at Ace with concern and Ace could see the glowing red hue of his eyes reflected in Marco's. As Ace tried to hold back the thirst, breathing became harder.

"You need to feed." Marco stated instead of asking.

"No," Ace denied. "You need your strength."

"True," Marco agreed, "But if you take some blood from me it will prevent me from having to heal your injuries as well as the curse."

Ace bit his lip before he nodded and said, "Okay, but you have to stop me before I take too much."

Marco sat next to Ace on the bed and extended his wrist until it was in front on Ace. It was less romantic than feeding from the neck, but Marco didn't want to irritate the burns and injuries more than he had to. Ace took hold of Marco's hand with his not-burnt hand before nuzzling against it. It wasn't something that he'd intended to do, but his body seemed to move on its own. Energy hummed just below the surface of Ace's consciousness as he could almost hear how pleased his demonic nature was about feeding from Marco again. If he stopped to think about it, Ace would have realized that it was strange. His demonic nature nearly killed Marco last time, but this time it seemed to be less intent on doing the man lasting harm. But, Ace didn't have time to think before he was kissing, yes kissing, Marco's wrist. It wasn't normal kissing either. Ace's tongue lashed out to lick the skin right above Marco's pulse. He didn't even realize what he was doing, even when he began to nip and suck at the skin as well. He heard Marco chuckle before he felt Marco's teeth messaging his earlobe.

"Don't play with your food, Ace." Marco warned in a husky whisper, "Because it definitely wants to play with you."

Ace gasped as Marco's words sent a shiver of excitement down his body. He knew that engaging in the kind of activities Marco's words sent to his mind would be extremely painful with the curse still plaguing his skin. Still, the words and ideas sent his blood south. Ace's eyes fluttered and then closed as he slowly pierced the flesh of Marco's wrist until he hit the vein of sweet and delicious liquid. Ace moaned as he was greeted by the familiar taste. He could hear Marco sigh next to him. Ace's head became fuzzy as he fed. He barely even registered his broken bones becoming whole again because of the tingling sensation that pulsed throughout his body. This time, there was no urge to gorge himself and kill Marco in the process. Instead, Ace was keenly aware of how much he was taking from Marco and how the feeding was affecting the other. He noticed how Marco's body was starting to relax in response to the chemicals that Ace was injecting him with. He could tell that Marco's breaths were coming slower and deeper as his heart slowed slightly. The bullet wound in Ace's shoulder closed and Ace removed his fangs from Marco's skin before licking the wound closed.

"It was easier to stop this time," Ace admitted.

"Good, yoi," Marco said before placing a kiss on Ace's temple.

Marco then proceeded to take off his jacket, sandals, and belt as he normally did to sleep. He knew that healing Ace would drain him and probably immediately make him want to collapse into sleep. Once he'd done that, he pulled the blankets back on the bed, and situated Ace and himself under them.

"Are we going to sleep?" Ace asked.

"After I heal you, yes," Marco replied. "We'll probably both need sleep afterwards."

Ace nodded in understanding. He vividly remembered having to support Marco after he'd healed Thatch. Marco scooted close to Ace and carefully took him into his arms. He moved slowly as he tried not to cause Ace too much pain all at once. He wrapped his arms around Ace's back and Ace hissed as his arms settled against his burnt skin. Marco distracted him by kissing him passionately as his tongue dove into Ace's mouth making him moan and fade the pain slightly. Gingerly, Marco pulled Ace closer until their chests were touching without breaking the kiss. Marco cautiously slid one of his legs between Ace's but that caused Ace to pull back as he gasped in pain as their groins rubbed against each other. Marco guessed that Ace was also burnt there. Marco carefully moved his leg away from Ace's groin to alleviate some of the pain.

"Sorry." Marco whispered.

Ace shook his head. "I'm okay."

"I need you to wrap your arms around me and lock your hands together behind me." Marco instructed and Ace did what he was told. "Good, now," Marco looked Ace in the eyes sternly as he gave the next instructions. "Don't let go of me no matter what happens. I can't guarantee that I won't scream and try to get away so you have to hold onto me."

"But," Ace questioned, "Wouldn't it be easier to heal parts at a time instead of all at once?"

"I can't do that." Marco rejected. "I can only heal the same injury on the same person once. After this I won't be able to use my flames to heal your curse anymore. Thankfully the curse won't return once the flames heal it completely since some of my power will stay inside you. But, if I can't eliminate it the first try, then I can't try again. You'll die if I stop halfway through, yoi." Marco admitted. "My flames will keep healing you as long as we're touching which is why I'm trying to get as close to you as I can, but if I pull away then the curse will start growing again from where it remains and, eventually, it will kill you."

"That sounds really complicated." Ace said.

"It is." Marco agreed. "Now, let's do this, yoi. Lock your arms around me."

Ace nodded and wrapped his arms around Marco. He grabbed his burnt wrist with his not burnt hand and gripped it tightly, even though it hurt to do so. Ace quickly placed a kiss on Marco's jaw before nuzzling into his neck.

"I love you," Ace confessed.

"I love you too, yoi."

Marco smiled and took a deep breath before closing his eyes and holding Ace as tight as he could. He hoped that if he held Ace tight enough he could remember what he was trying to do even after the pain flooded his senses. Marco dug deep inside himself to where that ancient power of healing was settled. He flinched as that power awakened into blue flames that coated first his body and then Ace's. Marco could feel his body spasm as the pain assaulted his nerves and he let out a choked sound resembling a gasp.

To say that the feel was excruciating would be an understatement. Marco whined through his clenched teeth and squirmed restlessly as he tried to stop the pain. Tears leaked from his eyes and ran slick trails down his face before dropping down and being caught by Ace's hair. His body started to tremble as if felt like his body was being pulled apart layer by layer, cell by cell. A flash of pain erupted from his stomach, like someone had dung their fingers into his flesh and forcefully pulled it apart, and Marco couldn't hold back his screams any longer. Marco couldn't think anymore as he screamed until his voice went horse and then reverted to agony filled whimpers and groans. His face was contorted into a mask of pain as his body convulsed as the feeling of burning to death consumed him. Yet, while he'd normally try to pull away from everything, something in his subconscious made him cling harder to the figure that was against him. In his suffering, he sought the comfort of the body next to him, even though it was the one that was inflicting the intense torture he was experiencing onto him.

When Marco's flames had covered Ace's body, they'd almost wiped his mind blank. He briefly wondered if this was how people felt when he fed from them. It was euphoria that Ace encountered when Marco's flames coated his body. He felt as though the cool flames caressing him were penetrating every pore of his skin and taking the pain from him as it did. This euphoria however didn't completely leave him without thought; it only cleared and opened his mind. Ace felt Marco's body start to shake and tremble. He opened his mouth to whisper comforting words when Marco's scream tore through the silence of the room. Ace latched onto Marco tighter as he tried to calm the blond holding him. He felt a drop of liquid hit his neck and realized that the other was crying. He didn't know what to do. He didn't think that anything he did would get through. He heard Marco's voice give out and the screams stop and give way to other tortured sounds.

Ace almost thought of letting Marco go. He thought of pushing Marco away. It would stop the torture the blond was going through, but then everything that had happened would be for nothing. Marco was already enduring the pain to save him and pushing Marco away would be the same as sentencing himself to death. Still, the thought crossed his mind, but it vanished when Ace felt Marco hold onto him tighter. In fact, Marco's whole body had curled into him as much as it was physically possible to. When Ace realized this, he let his wrist go and brought his hand up to entangle within Marco's hair. He laid kisses on Marco's jaw and neck while he rubbed Marco's back in a supportive gesture. Marco's body stopped shaking but instead went ridged and tense against his.

Marco had felt Ace's lips on his neck. It didn't ease the pain, not even in the slightest, but it brought him back to reality just a little bit. He remembered that it was Ace's body that he was desperately clinging to and forced his body to stop its incessant shaking.

"Ace," He hissed through his teeth.

"I'm here, Marco," Ace whispered in response. "Just a little bit longer, okay," He urged.

Marco nodded stiffly. Ace continued to kiss his neck and brought the hand in his hair down to caress his face. It was those kisses and touches that helped Marco stay in the present even when everything else was destroyed by the suffering he was going through. Marco could feel that it was almost over. Some of the flames were starting to go out as they had completed their job. Slowly the amount of pain started to decrease as the flames died out on Ace's skin, taking the curse with them. Marco's breath started to become easier and his muscles started to relax as the pain was stemmed to aches and exhaustion. He felt the last of the flames go out and sighed in relief as he collapsed into relaxation.

Ace felt the last of the fire leave his skin and almost felt sad, but also happy. He felt Marco go limp against him and pulled back to assess the blond's condition. Marco's eyelids were almost closed with their heaviness but his face had gone back to being aloof rather than expressing severe pain. Ace leaned forward and placed a kiss on Marco's forehead and then another, longer one on his lips. Marco's lips twitched upwards and Ace smiled softly back at him. Ace watched as Marco's eyes drifted closed and laid awake to listen to the man's shaky, but deep, breaths as he slept.

It was a while before Ace could fall asleep, as many thoughts were filling his mind. Most of his thoughts centered on being alive and the man next to him, but some reminded him of those who were not currently with him. Luffy's smiling face entered his mind a few times and caused him to smile as well. Ace ran his fingers through Marco's hair over and over again taking pleasure from being held by the other as he slept. Soon Marco's warmth and presence lulled him to sleep, where he dreamed of all of those who cared for him both near and far.

…

_**I hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope it make up for the cliffhanger. Anyway, thank you for all the wonderful reviews they really brighten my days. -LPC**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**WARNING: This chapter has not been edited by a beta as she is busy moving... You've been warned.**_

When Ace woke up he felt very well rested. In fact, he felt better than he had in years, even before the curse. He wondered if everyone who was healed by Marco's flames got the same effects. He felt as though he was glowing with health. He felt the body of the man responsible for his good health against his and smiled. Marco was still sleeping like the dead and didn't stir as Ace ran his fingers through his blond locks and then down to his jaw line. Ace then traced down Marco's neck and collarbone and then down his chest. Ace paused at Marco's tattoo. He knew that it was the other's pride and he couldn't help but smile as he traced the dark ink. Marco didn't stir at all; Ace figured that he must be exhausted.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made Ace jump. Slowly he peeked over Marco's form to see the kimono-clad Izou sitting in the chair at the desk. Izou was smirking with narrow eyes as if to say that he'd seen everything. Ace carefully removed Marco's arms from around him so that he could sit up. Marco didn't react as Ace moved his limbs. Ace could feel that his face was heated from his embarrassment.

"Good morning, Ace," Izou said with his smirk still in place.

"Good morning," Ace responded awkwardly.

"We need to talk." Izou stated and the smirk disappeared to be replaced by a stern expression.

Ace looked down at Marco's sleeping figure that was next to him. He didn't want to leave and risk Marco waking up while he was gone. He wanted to be there when Marco woke up.

"He's not going to wake up anytime soon." Izou said as if he'd read Ace's mind. "If you're worried that he'll wake up while you're gone, I can promise you that he won't. I saw how bad the curse was on you. Since he healed something that terrible, it will take a while for him to recover, so he won't wake up for a while."

"Are you sure?" Ace worried.

"I'm sure, now come on; we have a couple things we need to discuss." Izou urged as he stood up and waited for Ace to follow him.

Ace nodded in understanding. He knew that this was coming. Most likely Izou was beyond pissed and only controlling his anger because he didn't want to wake up Marco. He felt anxiety creep up again. Last night he'd been so happy that Marco came to get him and that Marco wanted him to live, but what if the rest of the Whitebeards hated him now? Would Marco still love him if his whole family hated him? Ace looked down at the sleeping blond for a brief moment. He couldn't help but smile. He took a deep calming breath before he untangled himself from the blond carefully. He stood up and crossed his arms in front of him in worry.

Izou nodded and led him out of the bedroom and down the hall. They arrived at another door which Izou opened and shoved Ace inside of. Izou entered the room as well and slammed the door behind him. Izou stomped over to where Ace was standing, looking both anxious and frightened, and started yelling.

"Are you some kind of idiot?" Izou yelled while hitting Ace repeatedly.

The hits weren't hard. They were the kind of hits one could expect from one's best friend when one was play-fighting. Izou was obviously annoyed but he wasn't trying to hurt Ace, he just wanted to express his irritation. Still Ace curled up a bit to avoid getting hit in the face. Izou let out a huff as he stopped and placed his hands on his hips. He glared in an ineffective way at Ace who was pouting like a punished puppy.

"Oh," Izou huffed, "Do not try to use that expression on me. I am not Marco." Izou sighed. "Seriously, Ace what were you thinking?"

"I don't know," Ace mumbled.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Izou yelled. "I saw how far along the curse was. How could you hide something that like from us? I thought we were your friends. I thought you were part of our family. Why would you hide it from us?"

"I thought you all would hate me if you knew that I'd lied to you." Ace muttered. "I just wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't want to hurt Marco. I was afraid that you guys would turn me away if you found out."

"So you just decided to die instead," Izou asked angrily. "You're lucky you're pretty because you are stupid." Izou grabbed Ace shoulders and shook him as he continued to rant. "Are you a moron? Did you really think that we were that heartless? Oh my god, Ace, what did we do to make you think that? Seriously, did you think that Marco was the only one that cared about you?"

Ace's bottom lip trembled and tears started to form in his eyes when he confessed, "Maybe."

Izou stopped shaking Ace is pure astonishment. He was honestly shocked. He really didn't think that Ace was that oblivious. Izou stared at Ace for a moment and took in the other's watery eyes. Ace wasn't lying. He really thought that only Marco cared about him. Izou pulled the other man into his arms and sighed.

"Ace, we've already decided that you're a part of our family." Izou said. "I know that you might not want us, but we've already accepted you. I heard that you told Oyaji that you didn't want a family, but it's too late. You're already my brother and that's not just because of your relationship with Marco. Marco accepted you first, but when we saw how you two interacted we accepted you too."

Izou had to hold back tears of his own when he continued. "Last night, when I saw you, I was so scared. You looked like you were going to die. I was worried that Marco wouldn't be able to save you because it would be too much for him to take. I thought I was going to lose my newest brother; my little brother. I was afraid that we were going to lose you."

"You really think of me like that?" Ace asked.

"Of course we do, Ace." Izou assured. "You're my brother and you're Oyaji's son, even if you don't accept us. I understand that you don't want us because of your father, but you need to know that we love you, Ace."

"Thank you," Ace breathed shakily.

"No problem," Izou said patting Ace's back before pulling away. "But I really need to know something. What are you going to do now?"

"What am I going to do," Ace repeated.

"You were actually supposed to answer the question." Izou reminded. "Are you going to stay with us or are you going to leave? War will be coming soon because Akainu will know about Marco. What do you plan to do?"

Ace paused and lowered his gaze to the floor. He knew he would have to make a choice. He had planned to leave and try to make it home when he reached the Earth capital. He'd promised to return to Luffy as soon as he was healed, but so much had changed since he left. He hadn't expected to get attached to the Whitebeard Army. He hadn't expected to fall in love with the last blue phoenix. But then yesterday when he'd decided to live it was because of Marco. He wanted to live for Marco. He wanted to be with Marco and to make him happy, but he was still unsure about joining Whitebeard's family. He would have to accept Whitebeard as his father then, and he wasn't sure if he could do that.

"Izou, have you seen," Haruta yelled while bursting through the door. "Ace," Haruta exclaimed when spotting him. "I was looking for you! I looked for you in your and Marco's room and then you weren't there and I was worried." Haruta quickly embraced Ace. "I'm so glad that you're okay."

"Why were you worried?" Ace asked.

"Well, Marco didn't know where you were either and I was worried that the healing didn't work and that you'd left." Haruta explained.

"You woke up Marco," Ace yelled.

"He did, yoi," Marco responded, standing in the doorway still looking like he was going to fall asleep any moment.

Ace didn't like the way Marco looked. He was really pale and had large deep dark shadows underneath his eyes. Marco's eyes were more than half lidded and he leaned against the doorframe as if to suggest that he was going to fall asleep standing up. He still had his signature lazy smirk on his face but it looked tired.

"You said that he wouldn't wake up." Ace accused Izou.

"Well, he wouldn't have if someone hadn't made him wake up." Izou claimed redirecting Ace's anger onto Haruta.

"How is this my fault?" Haruta asked.

"He's supposed to be resting." Ace yelled as he went to attack Haruta in a similar way as to how Izou had attack him.

Izou quickly held Ace back while Marco started to chuckle. Truthfully, he had worried that Ace had left. Last night he'd said that leaving or staying was Ace's choice to make, but when he woke up and Ace wasn't there he had been disappointed. He'd wondered if Ace hadn't been here only to get healed after all. Now, seeing Ace again, he felt confident in him. Ace would stay. Marco was sure of it, now if only the same could be said about the boy.

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep." Marco announced as he turned to leave.

"Ah Marco," Ace called freeing himself from Izou's grip and catching Marco's arm.

Haruta quickly pulled Ace away from the first commander, "Ace, Oyaji needs to talk to you."

"Can't you just give me one minute?" Ace whined with a pouting face.

"Fine," Haruta huffed, "but be quick, I promised to bring you to Oyaji a while ago."

Ace quickly left the room pulling Marco with them until they were within the safety of their own room. Ace sighed in relief once he'd closed the door behind him. Marco chuckled at the others juvenile behavior before collapsing on the bed.

"What's wrong, yoi," he asked, knowing that something must be wrong for Ace to drag him away from the others so abruptly.

Ace came to sit beside him on the bed. "I don't know what to do." He admitted.

"About what," Marco asked.

"About everything," Ace elaborated, "Everyone wants to know what I'm going to do now."

"Well, what do you want to do, yoi?" Marco questioned.

"I'd promised that I would return to the Air Nation once I was healed." Ace explained and saw Marco nod slowly in understanding. "But, I don't know if that's what I want anymore. I want to see Luffy and everyone else, but I never really felt like I fit in there. It seemed like everyone was Luffy's friends and I was just being included because I was related to him. I mean, I like everyone and I love my brother, but I don't want to feel like an extra wheel."

Marco couldn't help but smile. He hadn't wanted Ace to leave. Of course, if that was what Ace wanted then he wasn't going to stop him, but he wanted Ace to stay. He loved Ace, so he didn't want him to leave. So, while it made him feel guilty, Marco was a little bit glad to hear that Ace didn't want to go home as much as he thought he should.

"I just, I want to stay with you." Ace confessed, making Marco smile warmly.

"Then stay," Marco offered, "Everyone here accepts you as our family." Ace's expression deflated, making Marco ask, "What's wrong, yoi?"

"It's just," Ace sighed.

How could he say that he didn't want a father? How could he say that even the idea of having a father made his stomach churn? How could he say those things to someone like Marco? Marco loved his family; it was the symbol of pride tattooed on his chest. Ace didn't think that he could handle having a father. He was the son of Gol D. Roger; he had tainted blood in his veins. That was the curse his father gave him. If others found out who he was; they would all want him dead. So why would he want a father? Why would he want to have another person that could define him without his consent? No, he had a choice in this and he didn't want to be judged based on another person's actions anymore. Sure Whitebeard is a good person. He hadn't rejected Ace after he learned who his father was, but Ace was still unsure about trusting him with something as important as becoming his father.

"Why do you call him 'oyaji'?" Ace whispered while looking away from Marco.

Marco smiled. He could tell that Ace was teetering on the edge of a major decision. Sure, the boy obviously has problems accepting others and with his heritage, accepting Whitebeard as his father was probably the most difficult thing for him to do. But, the question Ace had asked proved to Marco that all Ace needed was a small push in the right direction. Ace had spent his whole life hiding what he was, just as Marco had, although for a different reason. Marco knew better than anyone else on the ship how that affected someone. Marco had his family that accepted him as he was, and that was enough for him; maybe Ace didn't have as much support though. Their situations were very different, after all. Marco had to hide who he was so that war wouldn't break out, but for Ace the hatred of the public was the main reason he had to remain hidden. Marco didn't know who all knew about Ace's heritage, besides now his family; thanks to Squardo. Marco considered all of this and took a deep breath. What he said next was from his heart and he could only hope that they were the words Ace needed to hear.

"Because he calls us his 'sons'," Marco said with a tired smile and a small shrug. "To the rest of the world, we're all just outcasts. It makes us happy, yoi. It's just a word, but it makes us happy."

Ace said nothing but turned his wide eyes downwards towards his feet. He hadn't expected something like that. Was that really it? Was it really because they didn't belong anywhere else except with Whitebeard that made them such a close family? Then again, a little of what Marco said rang true. Marco wouldn't fit in anywhere else in the demonic realm, not if he wanted to be free anyway. Thatch was a human in the demonic realm and he'd started the curse, so he wouldn't be welcome elsewhere.

"Ace," Marco continued becoming serious. "You can't keep risking your life like this. You need to make up your mind. A war is coming and my family and I are going to be at the center of it. You're going to be in danger if you stay with us, even more so if you're not committed to us." Marco held back he wants and spoke in a stern voice. "Either leave and go back home or stay and become part of our family. Those are your only two options, there is no in between, not with war on the horizon."

Ace couldn't say anything. He knew Marco deserved an answer, but he just didn't have one. He wanted to be with Marco, but he didn't know if he could accept being a part of Whitebeard's family. He didn't know if he was capable of being someone's son. He was alone until he'd met Sabo and Luffy, so he hadn't really had a family besides that useless old man that left him with mountain bandits. Could he so easily accept someone as something he'd never had?

Marco could nearly see the wheels turning in Ace's head as clouds formed in the boy's dark eyes. Marco sighed. He worried that he'd said the wrong thing. Had he just pushed Ace away? Marco's eyes and body felt heavy. He couldn't deny the urge to sleep any longer. He placed a kiss to Ace's forehead and let himself fall back into the abyss of sleep.

…

Ace left Marco sleeping and opened the door to find Haruta waiting for him just outside the room. Haruta looked him over and patted his shoulder. Haruta smiled reassuringly and grabbed Ace's hand to bring him to Oyaji.

"You really worried everyone yesterday." Haruta scolded as they walked. "You should have seen Marco when he heard you scream. He looked like some kind of vengeful god. Mark my words; Teach is going to get what's coming to him and Marco's going to be the one to give it to him."

"I'm sorry," Ace apologized while still replaying what Marco had said in his mind. "Was everyone really worried about me?"

"Of course," Haruta chirped. "You're our brother; of course we were worried about you."

"Is that really how everyone sees me?" Ace asked. He still didn't believe what everyone was saying. "I already said that I didn't want to be part of your family, so why would you still say that I'm a part of it?"

"You say one thing, by the way you act implies another." Haruta explains. "To us it just seems like your denying what you want."

"What do you mean?" Ace questions in confusion.

"You say that you don't want a family, but you act like you want to be accepted by everyone." Haruta reasoned. "Sure, Marco was the first one you opened up to. You two just seemed to click the day you started traveling with us. But, slowly it seemed like you were accepting us too, as long as Marco was with you. That week he was gone, you barely spoke to anyone; it was scary. We want to be there for you too. We love you too, Ace. We just don't know what we should do."

"I don't know what I should do either." Ace admitted. "It feels like no matter what I do I'll be letting someone down."

"None of that matters, what do you want?" Haruta asked.

Ace stopped walking and Haruta turned around to look at him. "I want to be with Marco." He confessed.

"Then, be with Marco," Haruta shrugged as they resumed walking.

"You say that like it's easy to just accept a whole new family."

"You're the only one making it difficult. We don't want to replace your current family. We want to expand your family. You're over-thinking this."

Ace sighed. Was he over-thinking everything? It was starting to seem like he was. Marco, Izou, and Haruta all seemed to be speaking honestly with him. He could stay. He could be accepted, but that would mean giving up going home to Luffy. It felt like he was being torn in half. Half of him wanted to go back to the Air Nation and to Luffy. He knew that he couldn't always be with Luffy. He couldn't always protect him. They each had their own lives to live, but now that it was time, he didn't quite want to leave Luffy behind to live somewhere else. The other half of him wanted to stay with Marco. He had wanted to live for Marco and he still wanted that. He loved Marco and Marco loved him. Still, choosing between his family and the person he was in love with was difficult, especially with a war on the horizon.

Ace was silent the rest of the way to Whitebeard's throne room. He had too much on his mind to talk. Haruta seemed to understand and also didn't talk. They reached the door to the room and Haruta ushered him inside but didn't follow. Jozu, who had been talking to Whitebeard, bobbed his head before turning to leave. Apparently Whitebeard wanted to speak with him alone.

"It's good to see you healthy." Jozu said clapping Ace on the back when he passed and shut the door behind him as he left.

After the door was closed Ace stood for a brief moment and just stared at his feet while Whitebeard observed him. Whitebeard only smiled. Ace was a precautious kid to Whitebeard, untrusting of others and unwilling to take risks with his emotions. How Marco had managed to get through to him, many members of the Whitebeard family wondered. Whitebeard on the other hand knew. Marco spoke exactly as he thought and Ace could see that. Whitebeard hoped that he could also get through to Ace.

"Come here, son," Whitebeard said as he patted the armrest of his chair where Marco usually perched himself when they talked.

Ace approached with hesitation. He was unsure about everything. He didn't take the spot on the armrest that Whitebeard indicated. A small part of him still didn't want to give in and do what the other wanted him to. Ace sat down at Whitebeard's feet and leaned against the man's knees with a depleted sigh. Whitebeard reached down as ruffled Ace's hair with a couple of his fingers.

"Are you better now, Ace?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," Ace said nodding against Whitebeard's knee. "Marco healed me, the curse is gone."

"Good, very good," Whitebeard nodded. "You gave us quite the scare, both yesterday and last night. We'd thought we were going to lose you twice."

"Can you still say that you want me as your son after everything that happened yesterday?" Ace mumbled. "A war is going to start because of me. Marco had to save me and now Akainu's going to know about him. You're all going to have to fight now. Some of you might die, just because Marco had to save me. Do you still want me as your son after all of that? I even lied to all of you, so how can you still want someone as useless as me?"

"You are my son, no matter what you've done, no matter what you will do, no matter who you are related to. Whether you accept me or not, I've already decided that you are my son." Whitebeard said. "But you are correct, a war is coming. We will fight for our family. We'll fight for Thatch, for Marco, and for you."

"For me," Ace asked, not understanding.

"Do you think that Teach would throw Marco and Thatch under a bus, but leave you alone?" Whitebeard asked with an ironic laugh that was free of joy. "Teach doesn't only know Marco and Thatch's secrets; he knows yours as well."

The blood in Ace's veins froze at those words. He hadn't thought of that fact. Teach knew who his father was. He knew that he was Gol D. Roger's son. Ace could barely breathe as he realized how much Akainu would pay to know about the child of Gol D. Roger and how eager the man would be to kill him. Ace swallowed thickly. Teach was going to tell Akainu about him too. He wouldn't be safe even if he went back to the Air Nation; he'd only be leading Akainu to his friends and family; to Luffy. Panic crept up Ace's spine.

"Relax," Whitebeard said calmly observing the boy's inner turmoil. "Nothing will happen to you, my son. Nor will anything happen to Marco or Thatch. Even if you decide to leave and return to the Air Nation, we will still protect you."

"How would you protect me? Do I even have a choice anymore?" Ace asked. "If I go home I'll just be leading Akainu to Luffy and everyone else. But if I stay then I'm just going to be a burden on everyone."

"Oi," Whitebeard said firmly, "You are not a burden. We will never think of you as such and never have. You are strong, and kind. You've made mistakes, but everyone on this ship has and none of your mistakes are unforgivable. You have a choice and even if you choose to leave, we will still protect you because you are one of us. We'll make sure that Akainu can't hurt you, so you don't need to worry about bringing harm to those close to you. You have the right to choose what you want to do."

Ace sighed. What did he want? He hadn't thought about staying before, but now that it was an option, it was making him second guess everything. He thought that it was for the best of everyone if he went home, but he wasn't sure if that was the right thing anymore. Marco and everyone else were going to war and that was at least partially his fault. It didn't feel right to abandon the people who had saved him when they needed him the most.

He wanted to be with Marco. He knew that. Marco loving him wasn't just a wish anymore; it was a reality. He could be with Marco, but that would mean fighting in and enduring a war. He felt something stir in him, it was a strange urge. It was the kind of urge that made adrenaline flood his veins. Marco was going to be in danger. He could be hurt seriously, and that made Ace want to kill everyone who threatened him. Call it possessiveness, but Marco was his. Some little voice inside him asked Ace if he was just going to sit back and let others hurt someone who belonged to him.

"Marco's mine," Ace blurted unexpectedly and blushed feverishly as he realized he'd spoken his thoughts aloud.

"Gurararararara," Whitebeard laughed boisterously. "Is that so?"

Ace pouted as Whitebeard continued to laugh. He hadn't meant to speak his thoughts aloud, but he couldn't deny that what he said reflected his inner feelings. Marco was his and he wasn't about to let anything happen to him without putting up a fight. That, of course, meant that he would have to fight, which meant he couldn't go home yet.

Ace realized that, maybe; he did belong with the strange rag-tag group of people known as the Whitebeard Army. Yes, he hadn't wanted or expected to belong in their family, but he couldn't deny that he did. It was the feeling that bloomed in his chest whenever Marco was nearby, and the ease that the others had around him, and how Whitebeard supported him no matter what. He was no longer the outsider on the ship, instead everyone knew his name. All that was left was to accept it.

He worried what Luffy would think and say when he realized that he wasn't coming home. He worried that his beloved little brother would cry and beg him to stay, which he knew would make him cave immediately. He still remembered Luffy as the crybaby little brother he'd been forced to accept because of the boy's determination. He didn't want to let him down, but he knew that they couldn't be together forever.

"You've made your decision." Whitebeard observed.

"Yeah, I have." Ace said as he held back the tears in his eyes.

Ace stood up and walked a few paces before looking back to give Whitebeard a wide and bright smile. Whitebeard's eyebrows rose, but he still started to laugh. Ace laughed as well before heading towards the door to the room. He reached to door and turned back towards Whitebeard once more with a confident and mischievous smirk.

"Thank you, Oyaji," He said jovially before exiting and closing the door behind him.

"Gurararara, cheeky brat," Whitebeard chuckled as he relaxed back into his chair.

…

"You're not just doing this to get in my brother's pants, are you?" Izou asked with narrowed eyes.

Ace rolled his eyes in response, "No, plus how do you know I'm not trying to get him into my pants?"

"Ace," Izou warned seriously.

Ace sighed, "That's only part of the reason. I'm not dumb Izou, I know what this means. I'm staying. I'm accepting everything; Oyaji, the family, everything; including Marco."

Izou hummed but then nodded. "Okay, I believe you," he affirmed as he grabbed the small handheld tattoo machine.

Ace relaxed against the chair on his stomach. He heard the machine in Izou's hand hum as it was turned on. His stomach was nervous. There was no going back after this. He took deep breaths and forced himself to relax as the machine made contact with his skin. He calmed himself with thoughts of Marco. He couldn't wait to show the man his new tattoo. He hoped it turned out as awesome as the sketch.

…

_**I'm sorry that this took so long. Ugh the last few days have been so just terrible and a lot have things have happened that I had to deal with and so I didn't have time to write as much as I normally do. Just it feels like everything has changed in the last few days and I've been really stressed and upset so I really want to thank you for all of your reviews. They really made me smile while everything else has been falling apart. I unfortunately can't promise that the next chapter will be out any quicker because of the crazy stuff that's been happening. Anyway, I'm sorry for making you wait. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. **_


	16. Chapter 15

_**Warning: this chapter is rated SS for Shameless Smut. Also it's not edited because my beta is still moving.**_

_**...**_

A gentle hand in his hair roused Marco from his dreamless sleep. His eyelids still felt unbelievably heavy as he slowly flickered them open. The room was dark, letting Marco know that he'd slept all the way through the day and into the night. Marco couldn't stop the soft sigh that escaped his lips as the hand in his hair continued to card through his locks. The hand paused and brushed Marco's hair out of his face. Marco looked up with a small smile and was met with dark eyes and freckles. Ace smiled back down at him and lit up the darkened room with his smile.

Marco's smile disappeared and was replaced by a concerned frown as he saw Ace's chest was wrapped in bandages. They hadn't been there this morning. Had Ace gotten hurt while he was asleep? Or had someone hurt him? He would track down whoever hurt Ace, if that was what happened. After all, Ace was his. He must have been making some sort of weird expression because Ace chuckled at him. Marco reached out and touched the bandages gingerly with a worried expression.

"What happened, yoi?" Marco asked softly.

Ace noticed the worry in Marco's expression, and voice, and caught Marco's hand in his. "I'm alright, I'm not hurt."

"Then what's with the bandages?" Marco asked in confusion.

"Let me show you." He said as Marco followed him in a trance like state from his recent awakening. Ace's face lit up again and his pulled on Marco's arm, pulling him out of the bed and towards the bathroom.

Marco allowed Ace to pull him as he was still pushing away his lingering tiredness. Ace led him by both hands in an affectionate gesture. Marco, since he was just waking up, stared at their intertwined hands like they were some sort of magic. In his defense, he was still a little drained. Ace caught Marco looking at their hands and giggled. As they entered the bathroom Ace quickly flipped on the light. Marco groaned as the brightness assaulted his eyes.

"Sorry," Ace winced in empathy as Marco squinted in annoyance. Ace led Marco to the toilet, "sit here for a second," he directed and Marco did as he was told.

Ace swallowed in nervousness. His stomach was tumbling in excitement. He couldn't wait to show Marco his tattoo; his new pride. He couldn't wait for Marco to see that he was completely dedicated to him and his, now their, family. Ace took a deep, calming breath and settled himself as he tried to remember everything Izou told him about taking care of his new tattoo. He reached down to turn on the water and sat down on the edge of the tub. He then turned and smirked at Marco.

Marco raised his eyebrows. His thoughts were still hazy from sleep and Ace's smirk was looking very suggestive. Marco swallowed thickly. Was Ace going to take a shower and let him watch; like an exhibition? That thought made blood move away from his brain and down to a lower part of his body. Images of a naked, soaking wet Ace popped into his mind. He wanted to watch as soap suds traveled down that hot, wet body. Marco crossed his legs uncomfortably and shook his head to rid himself of the sexy thoughts running through his head. He needed to wake up and make his mind clear.

"What are you thinking about?" Ace asked, seeming even more seductive as he leaned forward and placed a hand on Marco's knee.

"Nothing, yoi," Marco mumbled as he turned away from Ace's gaze.

"Hmm," Ace hummed, but let it slide, for now.

Marco tried to look aloof under Ace's gaze but his attention was caught again when Ace reached for the removable shower head. Marco's eyes became focused on Ace's movements and Ace smiled. He was happy that he had the older man's attention. Ace leaned back, as he gripped onto the edge of the tub with one hand to steady himself. The other hand, which held the shower head, brought it to spray the bandages covering the new ink on his back. He had to get them wet so that they wouldn't stick to his skin when he removed them. Marco wasn't sure what was happening. In fact, he was very confused but it was getting easier to stay awake since Ace was there, even if there was an uncomfortable heat settling in his groin. Suddenly Ace reached over to stop the water and replaced the shower head into its place. Ace then rotated his position so that his back was facing Marco and his feet were in the tub.

"Take them off," Ace instructed sexually fluttering his eyelashes as he glanced back at Marco over his shoulder.

Marco swallowed thickly once again and rose from his seat on the toilet to approach Ace. Marco came to stand behind Ace and trailed his fingers down Ace's neck before they came to rest at the top of the bandages. Ace sighed and closed his eyes as Marco's fingers went to work gently removing the bandages from his torso. As the air hit his new tattoo Ace felt a slight stinging sensation. He heard Marco gasp quietly behind him as the tattoo was slowly revealed.

"Do you like it?" Ace inquired tenderly.

"This is," Marco broke off breathlessly.

Marco reached out and ran his fingers around the tattoo on Ace's back. He was careful not to touch the ink, but traced around the edge of it. Ace sighed as he closed his eyes. He could feel Marco's fingers roaming his back around the edges of the tattoo. Marco traced the crossbones that made a cross and the skull with the familiar crescent mustache. One of Marco's hands went to trace his own tattoo. This was his pride; the mark of his family, and now it was lavishly decorating Ace's back. Marco's breath cut off as he didn't know what to say.

"This is Oyaji's symbol." Ace affirmed. "It's the crest of our family; yours and mine."

Marco couldn't help but smile and kissed Ace's neck passionately. "Then, we should take good care of it. Turn around to face me, we need to wash it."

Ace did what he was told and was rewarded with Marco's smiling face. Marco leaned down and caressed Ace's cheek before capturing the boy's lips. Marco tilted Ace's head up and licked Ace's bottom lip. Ace swiftly wrapped his arms around Marco's neck to pull him closer and allowed the other man's tongue to slip inside his mouth with a moan. Ace arched upwards as Marco's tongue curled around his and he tasted the man again. Ace briefly fought against Marco for dominance, but quickly lost himself in the heat and sensations Marco was making him feel. He could feel himself becoming rigid and whined when Marco pulled back from him.

Marco chuckled and quickly gave him another peck on the lips. Marco then grabbed a medium size plastic cup and filled it with water. He approached Ace again and kissed down his neck. Ace's arms reached around Marco's neck once more as the blond continued to kiss his neck. At first the kisses were soft and quick like butterfly kisses, but, as Marco prepared to pour the cool liquid over Ace's new ink, he intensified them. Soon gentle pecks turned into ardent sucking and biting that distracted Ace from the icy water washing down his tender skin.

"Marco," Ace hissed.

"Impatient," Marco responded grabbing some paper towels.

Ace didn't like to be kept waiting, and he'd waited long enough. Before, he couldn't have Marco because of the curse, but now the curse was gone and, damn it, Ace wanted Marco. He wanted him and he wanted him right now; tattoo be damned! Marco leaned over him to pat his new tattoo dry and Ace saw his opportunity. If Marco was going to make him wait then he was going to show Marco what they could be doing. Ace quickly latched onto Marco's hips, which were level with him as he was standing while Ace was sitting. Marco paused for a brief moment before deciding to let Ace do whatever he wanted to do.

Ace focused his attention away from the annoying urge to itch his new tattoo as Marco dried it carefully. Ace started at Marco's hip, along the edge of his pants. He moved from one hip to the other carefully taking Marco's skin between his teeth sucking on it gently and teasing it with his tongue. He felt Marco shiver and took that as encouragement. He returned to the center of Marco's body, right above his hardening member. He continued to suck and nip at the flesh as he slowly moved downwards until he was mouthing the lump in Marco's pants through the fabric.

Marco groaned at Ace's actions. He wouldn't last long if Ace continued much further. He quickly grabbed ointment and started applying it to the tattoo. Marco gently pushed Ace back from his member so he could focus on applying the ointment and dressing the tattoo with bandages once more. Ace let Marco push him away, but only so that he could focus his attention onto a different part of Marco's body. He continued his actions on Marco's tattoo, slowly making his way up the vertical section of the cross. Marco's heartbeat slowed slightly now that Ace wasn't sucking him off through his pants. He started to wrap the tattoo again while Ace started to work his way across one half of the crescent. Marco was halfway through wrapping the tattoo when Ace caught his nipple in his mouth. Ace felt Marco twitch and heard the man gasp. He smiled and noticed that Marco quickened his actions. Ace took the erect bump between his teeth and massaged it, making Marco hiss. Ace moved his hand up Marco's sides to his chest where one pinched and played with one nipple while his mouth continued to work on the other one.

Marco was panting as he swiftly finished covering the tattoo. Did Ace know how much he was torturing him? Marco was sure that it was Ace's intention, but, now that he was finished dressing the ink, he was going to get his revenge. Forcefully, but carefully, Marco pulled Ace away from his chest by his hair. Ace smirked up at him in a cocky way as he did so, which only fueled Marco's libido more. Marco narrowed his eyes and leaned in towards Ace to whisper in his ear.

"You really are impatient, yoi." Marco breathed harshly. "Fine, have it your way."

Ace was about to retort when Marco crushed his lips against his. Ace's hair was roughly grabbed as Marco's tongue pillaged his mouth. A moan escaped Ace at the slight pain in his scalp. He tried to fight back against Marco's tongue but Marco wasn't letting him. The hand that was in his hair moved to the back of his neck as Marco dominated his mouth. Ace moved to embrace Marco; he wanted him to be closer. Swiftly Marco pinned down his hands on the edge of the bathtub making him whine into Marco's mouth. Marco smirked against his lips.

Ace felt Marco reach down and unbuckled Ace's belt. Ace pulled back to get breath, but barely managed to inhale before his lips were captured again. Marco was being relentless. Ace felt Marco's hands slip under his shorts and arched his back as Marco's hands met his bare skin. He was thankful that he hadn't worn anything under the shorts. Marco expertly stripped Ace of the clothing and Ace swallowed thickly. It wasn't fair that he was naked and Marco was still partially clothed. He reached forward to attempt to remove Marco's belt but once again his hands were caught and pinned to the edge of the bathtub. Ace let out a sound like growl into their kiss.

Hearing that sound pushed Marco further. Marco sensually caressed Ace's face and then continued downward. He traced Ace's cheek, his neck, and then down the structured muscles, down his abs. Ace turned his face to the side, breaking the kiss, as his face became a deep shade of red in arousal and embarrassment as Marco's hand reached his rigid and throbbing member. Marco took hold of the other's member a little bit harsher than was required.

"Uh," Ace groaned and curled inward as he reached out to take hold of Marco's shoulder with a vise like grip.

Marco didn't seem to make note of his actions. Marco's eyes met his and Ace's felt more blood travel to his face and groin as his panted and started to sweat under Marco's stare. Marco smiled charmingly before attacking Ace's neck with a barrage of kiss and bites. As he did that Marco started rubbing and massaging Ace's member. He gently rubbed at the base of the hardened extremity and cupped Ace's balls as well, moving his fingers in circles on the sensitive flesh.

"Ah, emm," Ace moaned throwing his head back shamelessly and digging his nails into Marco's shoulders as his thoughts dissolved into moans and keens, "Mmm, Mar-co."

Marco started stroking Ace's length and pumping it slowly increasing his speed as Ace moaned deliciously making Marco's own length twitch at the delightful sounds his actions were dragging out of the boy. Marco teased Ace's nipples with his tongue as he continued to stoke the other's member. His pace increased until Ace was having trouble breathing with his constant moans and pants.

"Oh," Ace keened loudly, "uh, umm, fa-faster please enn Marco."

Ace could feel he was getting close. He couldn't hold back the shudders and mewls. Marco's hand moving, torturing him with pleasure, was making his mind go blank. He was close, so close, he felt like his body was being consumed with heat and pleasure. Ace's breaths came so fast that he felt like he was going to hyperventilate. He could feel sweat dripping down his body and Marco's mouth left his nipple to lick up the trails the sweat that were making paths down his chest. Marco fingers were teasing the tip of his length and Ace felt like he was going to cum at any second.

"Marco, I," Ace mewled in pleasure and lust.

Suddenly Marco stopped his movements and left Ace pant and in heavy lust and need. Marco stepped back slightly taking in the sight of his young partner. Ace looked amazing; panting with his face bright red in lust and his member leaking with precum in need and want.

"Marco," Ace whined as he voice broke with yearning. "Ugh, please Marco," he continued, begging, "Uhh I need nnn."

Marco chuckled but reached forward and caressed Ace's cheek. Ace looked at him with lust clouded eyes and a cringe at his disregarded member. Marco smiled sweetly and then pushed Ace's legs further apart. Ace's eyes widened as Marco got to his knees in front of him and then licked up Ace's length making Ace whine loudly.

"Oh Ma-Marco ahhh," Ace moaned.

Marco took that as permission and took Ace's member into his mouth. Ace's eyes went wide as he panted loudly and unevenly. He felt Marco's hot went mouth around him. It was too much; he knew he could hold it in much longer. Marco's tongue swirled around his member and Marco started to suck him further into his mouth. Ace dragged his nails down Marco's back and would have left scratches if not for the flames that healed them immediately. Marco took all of his length in and pressed his fingers into his balls. Ace involuntarily thrust his hips in response pushing himself harshly into Marco, who groaned. Marco increased his motions and Ace felt like he couldn't hold back anymore.

"M-Marco," Ace exclaimed loudly as he felt his control leave him.

Marco quickly released Ace's length with a wet popping sound. The orgasm tore its way through Ace as all his muscles clenched and his vision went white. He came hard and his seed sprayed onto Marco's shoulder and chest. Ace didn't feel like he had the strength to keep himself upright anymore as his muscles relaxed. Ace felt himself start to fall backwards into the tub and then Marco's arms surrounded him to hold him upright. His vision was still clouded and Marco's skin touching him made him moan again because of his skin's sensitivity.

Marco held Ace against him as Ace rode out the waves of euphoria and slowly came back from the orgasm. Marco didn't think that anything could ever look as gorgeous as Ace had as he came. That expression that he'd made with his eyes nearly closed and his mouth slightly open made Marco only want Ace more. Even with his hair stuck to his head with sweat and his face shaded darkly red, Ace still took Marco's breath away.

Ace sighed as he wrapped his arms around Marco's shoulders again and buried his head in Marco's neck. He felt spent and exhausted, but still lustful. After all, his demonic nature could also feed from sex, but getting oral from someone didn't do much for him. No, he still wanted Marco even if the heavy tiredness slowly creeping up on him was telling him to just give into sleep already.

Ace traced Marco's spine and cuddled more into his neck. Marco chuckled as he gently lifted Ace with him as he stood. Ace wrapped his legs around Marco's waist as he was carried back to the bedroom. Marco carefully laid Ace down on the bed Ace sighed as he felt the mattress beneath him. Ace watched in tired fascination as Marco removed his pants and revealed his own erect member. Ace could feel himself becoming aroused again in anticipation. He shouldn't have been able to become aroused again so soon after an orgasm, but Marco seemed to have an amazing affect on him.

Marco looked over at Ace, who was staring salaciously at him with half lidded eyes. Cautiously, Marco crawled on top of Ace and immediately Ace's arms came to circle his neck again. Marco began peppering Ace's face and neck with kisses as he ran his hands up and down Ace's sides. Ace's breaths became pants again as Marco touched his still sensitive skin. Marco's mouth was against his again and Ace's drowsiness started to fade. Marco pulled back and looked into Ace's eyes longingly. All at once, Ace felt like his heart was going to stop. Those bright blue eyes so full of emotion made him feel like time had stopped.

"I love you, Ace." Marco said sexily.

"I love you too." Ace responded, "So hurry up and take me."

"Still impatient, I see," Marco chuckled.

"Still horny, I see," Ace mocked.

Marco left Ace briefly to retrieve a tube of lubricant from his dresser. When he return he reclaimed Ace's mouth, but in a slower and less dominating manner, but it was no less passionate. Ace moved one of his hands up to burrow into Marco's hair and spread his legs to allow Marco to settle between them. They both moaned as their members rubbed against one another, even if Ace's was only just reawakening. Marco spread the lube onto his fingers before bringing them to rest at Ace's entrance. Ace shivered in anticipation as Marco pulled him closer. They parted from their kiss and Marco started to work feverishly at Ace's neck.

Carefully, Marco pressed one of his lubricated fingers inside Ace. Ace gasped and pulled at Marco's hair in discomfort. Marco could feel Ace's muscles tense briefly before Ace made himself relax. Marco started moving his finger gingerly since he didn't want to cause Ace more pain than was necessary. Ace moaned and hummed as the finger moved inside of him. As Ace became more relaxed Marco added another digit curling them and straightening them as he prepared the other. Marco pushed his fingers a little deeper into Ace and felt him twitch and arch his back as he soundlessly gasped. Marco pushed his fingers against the same bundle of nerves. Ace whined and writhed beneath him. Marco added a third finger and repeated the process. Ace dug his nails harshly into Marco's back and scalp as Marco's fingers pressed against his prostate. Marco removed his fingers from Ace and settled himself at Ace's entrance.

"Ready," Marco asked hoarsely.

Ace nodded his acquiescence, since he didn't trust his voice at the moment. Marco was tender in his movements as he lifted Ace's hips and entered him. Ace cringed, even though he'd tried to keep relaxed, at the discomfort and slight pain that shot up his spine. Marco paused momentarily to give Ace time to adjust. Ace's breaths came quickly as he felt his muscles constrict before relaxing around Marco; he gulped thickly and ran his fingers through Marco's locks as a form of permission.

Marco began to move inside him and Ace could feel the hard member slide in and out and couldn't help but cry out in pleasure. The thrusts were slow and gentle at first but sweet torture none the less. Marco continued to work at Ace's neck leaving red marks from his fervent kisses and nips. Ace could feel one of Marco's hands latch onto the back of his knee, anchoring Ace's to him and using his grip to thrust deeper into him. Ace's hand left Marco back and gripped the sheets below him tightly.

"Ah, ah Marco, ah," Ace gasped between moans and screams of passion. "Fuck," Ace exclaimed as Marco hit his prostate with precision.

Their bodies were slick with sweat as they slid against one another as Ace began to roll his hips with each of Marco's thrusts. Ace started to have trouble breathing with the heat and pleasure of Marco hitting his sensitive spot with nearly every thrust. He also felt a different heat take over him as it normally did during sex; the heat of bloodlust. He felt drenched in Marco's unique and irresistible scent and wished the he could drown himself in it. The sweat between their bodies reminded him of the sweet and savory liquid in his veins. He desire to feed barely cut through the mist of warmth and pleasure that was clouding his mind. He didn't even realize what he was doing as he pulled Marco towards him, even while his voice was still breaking with the loud keens and moans Marco's thrusts were forcing out of him.

Marco saw Ace's eyes take on a slight red hue, but didn't resist. Instead he gaze at the other in somewhat of a trace, even as he thrust harshly into him, sinking all of his length into the other. Marco groaned and Ace arched, gasped, and pulled roughly at his hair. It hurt slightly, but it also made Ace's mind go white as he cried out again.

"Augh, oh," Ace's voice nearly broke as his throat was becoming rough with his continuous pant and cries, "Ahhh, Mar-Marco."

Ace quickly pulled Marco close until his face was in the crook of his neck and his cries were loud in Marco's ear. He wanted to feed so badly. He ran his elongated teeth across Marco's skin and felt the other man's breath hitch and a groan escape from his mouth. Marco hit the center for Ace's pleasure again and felt Ace's teeth dig painfully into his neck in retaliation. Marco moaned as the chemicals that were associated with feeding added another layer of gratification to their love making. Ace's cries dissolved into hums as he fed from Marco while the other continued to thrust into him.

His whole body tingled with pleasure and he could tell that Marco felt the same way. It felt as though nothing existed beside his and Marco's joined bodies. All his could feel was Marco, all he could smell was Marco, and all he could taste was Marco. It felt as though he could just disappear into Marco's body and nestle into his soul. He felt as though he was becoming a part of Marco, as though he was being absorbed into Marco's being of utopian satisfaction. He'd never felt this close, this intimate with anyone before. He didn't want it to end. He felt perfectly complete and he didn't want to lose that feeling. It was when that thought cut through the fog in his mind that he felt his body being consumed by heat.

"Ah," Ace screamed as he released Marco's neck in surprise as his body felt like it was sweltering with heat.

"Fuck," Marco swore as his body also felt like it being was consumed by fire and was overheating.

The heat that plagued them was worse than the sun's rays on a hot summer day. The warmth pulsed through their bodies making their thoughts dissolve and left them both panting harsh breaths. Yet, the heat only made them want each other more, but they paused.

"W-what is this?" Ace panted in the torturous heat. "It's so fucking hot. I feel like I'm burning up."

"Me too," Marco breathed his reply, "I think that this heat means we're being mates."

"We're becoming mates," Ace repeated in surprise through heavy breaths. "This is unbearable, he groaned.

"Do you mean the heat or us becoming mates?" Marco asked in the flattest tone he could muster. Ace frowned but didn't answer and Marco continued. "We can stop, if you want, yoi." He said.

"I-," Ace started but his words shifted into a groan as the heat got worse, "Marco, I."

"Ace, I'm serious, yoi. If you don't want this, if you don't want me, you need to decide now." Marco said sternly. "Once we're bonded as mates it will be very dangerous and painful to break that bond, so if you don't want me as your mate then we need to stop now."

Ace couldn't hold back the growl of frustration that tore from him throat. Why couldn't Marco just stop thinking and fuck him already? Still, Ace forced his mind to work through the heavy lust fogging it. Did he want Marco? Fuck yes he did. Did he want to be Marco's mate? That was a more complicated question. The idea of being someone's mate made Ace want to vomit, or at least it used to. His parents had been mates and when their bond broke, when his father died, his mother wouldn't feed from anyone else because she was mourning the loss of her mate. That was the reason why Ace had no biological family; that was why he'd been alone before Sabo and Luffy.

But, then, it wasn't becoming anyone's mate that he was faced with. It was becoming Marco's mate. Marco was special. Ace had already decided to live for Marco. He'd even decided to join Whitebeard's family to stay with Marco. It felt right to be with Marco, like there was nothing else in the world that would make Ace feel like he belonged as much as Marco did. Also, if he wanted to spend his life with Marco, wouldn't it be easier to be his mate? Plus, there was no way in hell they were stopping now.

"I never thought that I would want a mate." Ace admitted. "I blamed the fact that my parents were mates for my mother's death. But, I want you. I want you to be my mate. I feel like a part of me has been missing this whole time and that part is you."

"Good," Marco smirked and pressed his lips to Ace's, "Because I want you too, yoi."

Their kisses became fervid again and the heat in their bodies drove them into restless love making. Their tongues danced for a moment before Marco's renewed thrusts caused Ace to break away from the kiss. The heat buffeting their bodies was driving them into frenzy. Ace returned to Marco's neck after their kiss broke, but was forced to seal the puncture when Marco's thrusts became faster and rougher. They hit Ace's prostate and drove him insane with pleasure with a slight twinge of pain. Ace's nails dug sharply into Marco's back as Ace pulled Marco closer, whose mouth was around his right nipple and hand was around his member.

"En, ah, ah," Ace huffed in a high, breaking tone in time with Marco's thrusts, "Mar-, Marco! Fuck!"

Ace writhed beneath him and Marco took in the sight. Ace's mouth was open and saliva dripped slowly from one side. His face was bright crimson like a rose and tears were just starting to collect in his eyes. It was a beautiful expression.

Ace dragged his nails on the skin of Marco's back. Marco's flames arose to kiss his fingertips and Ace's fire emerged in reaction. Marco arched his back, pushing slightly further into Ace as he did so, and moaned as he felt Ace's fire lap at his skin. Of course that only made Ace turn his hands to fire which, in turn, made Marco shudder. They could both feel that they were getting close. The heat of their bond being forged pulsed through their bodies in uncomfortable but desirable waves. Ace's screams, moans, and keens of pleasure filled the room accompanied only by Marco's occasional grunts and groans. Marco only vaguely registered this fact with the knowledge that breakfast tomorrow would be awkward. Marco's thrusts became slightly out of rhythm as both men were approaching their climaxes. One deep thrust directly hitting Ace's prostate was what pushed him over the edge.

"Marco," Ace yelled his lover's name as he came.

Ace's vision went completely white as his muscles tightened and his seed was sprayed onto Marco's hand, which had been pumping his member relentlessly. Ace's body then went limp, completely spent from the second orgasm it had experienced. Ace's muscles constricting around him pushed Marco over the edge immediately after him. He came hard into Ace, who gasped and writhed as he felt Marco's member spasm inside his sensitive body and Marco's warm seed filled him. Marco's vision also went white as the orgasm overtook him. He collapsed carefully on top of Ace as they rode out the waves of euphoria. The heat they had been experienced vanished with their orgasms though their bodies tingled with a strange energy where they touched.

Marco came back from his high first and gently removed himself from Ace. Ace groaned at this as he was still coming down from his own high. Marco then carefully flipped their positions so that Ace was lying comfortably on his chest. He heard Ace sigh dreamily as he came back to earth. He ran his fingers through Ace's hair and pushed the locks that were stuck to his face with sweat back in place. Ace's eyelids were drooping since they were heavy with exhaustion.

"I love you, Marco." Ace whispered as he gave into his body's need for sleep.

"I love you too, yoi."

…

_**This took longer than normal. I apologize for the delay but here's two things I know nothing about: sex and tattoos. Thank all of you for the wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. -LPC**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**Finally! This chapter IS edited!**_

Ace groaned as he woke up and felt the slight nagging soreness of his body where Marco had entered him the previous night. Yet, the memory of the night before, when Marco and he had been entangled with each other, made him shrug off his soreness. He reached out his hand to try to find his lover, now mate, but could only find a lingering warm spot on the bed. His eyes snapped open when he realized that Marco was not with him and a foreign and somewhat unwarranted panic clenched around his heart. He bolted upright, much to the protest of his body, and quickly looked around the room to find that Marco wasn't even in the room. Ace felt his panic and worry increase. Had Marco left him? They were mates now, so why would Marco leave him alone the day after they mated? Did he decide that Ace wasn't good enough? Ace curled up on himself and buried his head in his arms as his bottom lip trembled.

Marco, who - unbeknownst to Ace - was taking a shower in the bathroom a few feet away, felt a sudden rush of emotions that were not the ones he had been experiencing just seconds ago. Marco had been peacefully taking a shower, relaxed and happy that his mate was sleeping peacefully in the next room. Now, he felt fear, worry, and panic nag at him from the back of his mind and realized that the emotions were not his.

Marco had heard of mates being able to read their mates emotions, but he hadn't known that they would just flow into his mind whenever Ace had strong emotions. It felt strange to know someone else's emotions, even when he wasn't right beside the other. Quickly, Marco stepped out of the shower and swiftly wrapped a towel around his waist. He needed to talk to Ace and see why he was so panicked. Marco opened the door to see Ace sitting, curled into himself, on the bed. Ace's head snapped up when he heard the door open and felt relief immediately wash over him as he realized that Marco hadn't left him behind but was just a few feet away in the bathroom.

"Marco," Ace whispered as he saw the other emerge from the bathroom still dripping wet with a towel around his waist.

Marco smiled as he felt Ace's relief in the back of his mind and sighed as he relaxed. He chuckled lightly as he approached Ace and wrapped his arms around him. Both men felt peace wash over them as they came into contact with each other, another staple of being mates. Marco slowly rocked them both back and forth until Ace relaxed against him with a sigh.

"What's wrong, yoi?" Marco asked. "Why were you so upset?"

"I," Ace stumbled with his words as he tried to explain, "I woke up and you weren't here. I thought that you didn't think I was good enough and left me."

Marco smiled softly and placed a kiss on Ace's forehead. "You're perfect to me and I could never leave you." Gently Marco brush Ace's stray bangs out of his eyes as he continued. "We're mates now, Ace. There is nothing, and no one, in this realm that could make me leave you."

Ace nodded slowly into Marco's shoulder and spoke softly. "It's strange. I feel so at peace like this."

"It's because we're mates, yoi." Marco explained. "Just being around each other has beneficial effects."

Ace hummed in understanding and nestled closer into Marco and asked, "Can we just stay like this?"

"Only if you want to miss breakfast," Marco chuckled.

"No way in hell, I'm missing breakfast!" Ace exclaimed, making Marco laugh in response.

"I didn't think you would, yoi." Marco stated, "But, we should really shower first. We both smell like sex."

"You're right," Ace agreed, pinching his nose in emphasis.

"Then let's go," Marco smirked and stood as he started to pull Ace off of the bed and towards the bathroom.

Ace felt his mouth go dry. They were going to shower together. That thought made many images pop into Ace's mind and he could feel himself getting aroused. He could still see a few drops of water working their way down Marco's chiseled chest and gulped. He became very aware that he was naked as he felt himself getting turned on. He blushed lightly and saw Marco's smirk become more confident and seductive as they neared the bathroom.

As they passed through the door, Marco closes it behind them and a shiver runs down Ace's spine as gooseflesh starts to cover his skin. Marco then sensually removes the towel covering his waist and reveals his own half hardened member. Ace groaned, wanting nothing more than to throw himself at Marco and lose himself in the others embrace.

"Fuck, stop teasing me already," Ace growls before assaulting Marco's lips.

Ace feels Marco moan as his tongue enters Marco's mouth without any resistance from the other. Marco allowed Ace's to dominate him for a moment as Ace's groin rubbed against his because of the closeness of their bodies. The men part to moan and Marco leads them to the tub, over the ledge, and under the spray of water. Their kisses become fervent and Marco takes control again while their hardening members continue to rub against each other making them pant and moan under the hot spray.

"This isn't going to stop us from smelling like sex." Marco joked.

"I don't care." Ace replied, after all, Marco is the one who started this.

Marco took Ace into his arms and pushed him against the wall of the shower. Their bodies were tight against each other and, with the friction between their members driving them on, both men became hard in moments while they continued to kiss passionately. Ace dug his nails into Marco's arms as his libido reached a fever.

"Just fuck me already," he said in a demand with a heavy blush on his face.

"Are you always this demanding and impatient when it comes to sex, yoi?" Marco asked humorously.

"Are you always this laid back about it?"

Marco's laugh was his answer, but he quickly spun Ace so that he was facing the shower wall that he was pressed against. Ace braced his hands against the wall and spread his legs. Marco rubbed his hard length on Ace's tight ass and just brushed his entrance. Ace's back arched and his head was thrown back as his breath hitched.

"Hurry," Ace urged in lust.

"Just a minute," Marco whispered as he grabbed a bottle of body wash to use as lubricant and started to spread some on his fingers.

"Don't bother," Ace said as he looked over his shoulder at what Marco was doing.

"It will hurt much worse if I don't prepare you, yoi."

"I don't want to wait."

Marco made a small huff sound as he rubbed some of the soap on his own member, hoping to at least alleviate some of the pain and avoid taking Ace raw. Marco gently pulled Ace's hips back and laid a kiss just above the start of the tattoo adorning his back. Ace feels Marco's lips kiss his neck as his member comes to rest at his entrance. As Marco enters him Ace bites his lip. It hurt, not terribly, but more than last night, especially since he was still sore from the previous night. He grunts and clenches his hands on the shower wall.

"I warned you," Marco says as he reaches around Ace's to put his hand around the others member. "You're tight. You need to relax, yoi."

"As if I don't know that," Ace groans.

Ace takes a few deep breaths and forces his muscles to relax around Marco. As he does Marco starts to stroke him, earning him moans in return. Ace gradually becomes looser and Marco starts to move inside him in time with his strokes.

"Nnnn," Ace groans in time with Marco's thrusts, "Ah, nnn, Marco~."

The thrust become stronger, deeper, until Marco's embedding his entire length into Ace with each thrust. His thrust hit Ace's source of pleasure making him nearly scream every time Marco thrust into him.

"Fuck, oh, h-harder," Ace yelled, "NNN, Marco, Ah!"

Ace's back was arched completely as tears of pleasure and slight pain formed in his eyes. Spittle trailed from the side of his mouth and his face was nearly against the shower wall from how much his back was arched. Every thrust Marco made forced his mind to go white. Marco's hand played with his balls and massaged the base of his member. From there it pumped him ferociously until coming to the tip of his length. Ace shuddered with the assault of another strong thrust and felt himself becoming close to climaxing. His member leaked with precum as Marco's thumb teased, pressed, and massaged its tip.

"Ahhh," Ace screamed as his voice grew hoarse, "Ah, Oh, Ah, Mar-Marco harder I-I AH fuck~."

He felt as though he was going insane. It all felt so fucking good; Marco's thrusts that penetrated him deeply until all he could feel was intense pleasure. His body felt as though it were on fire with lust. His breaths came as high pitched pants when they could escape between his yells of pleasure. His whole body was, shaking, trembling as it accepted Marco's length again and again. Finally his burden was relieved from him as Marco's hand teased his tip and Marco thrust completely into him again. He came and spattered the shower wall with his seed with a scream that broke with the force of his release.

Marco saw Ace's body spasm and felt his muscles close around him. With Ace being so tight it didn't take long for Marco to reach his climax as well. He thrust only a few more times into Ace's prone and tight body. Ace's breaths hitched as he felt Marco's thrust into his sensitive body. Marco came into him and Ace felt it and keened loudly as Marco's seed filled his insides.

Ace's body shook and seized at the immense euphoria that claimed him. If it were not for Marco's arms supporting him, he would've collapsed due to the sensation. Marco managed to support them as they rode out their orgasms. Ace slowly descended from the euphoria and yet could not make his body stop trembling. Marco came back to earth and felt Ace still shaking within his grasp. He gingerly pulled out of the other and heard the other gasp at the twinge of pain. Then, Marco lowered himself and Ace to the floor of the tub and helped Ace lean against him. It took a few moments for Ace's body to recover and Marco gently ran his fingers through Ace's hair as he waited for the others trembling to cease.

"F-fuck," Ace cursed, "that w-was incredible."

Marco smiled softly and gently kissed Ace's temple. He then grabbed soap and a scrubber and carefully washed Ace. Ace sighed as Marco worked and his whole body became relaxed. Marco moved on from Ace's body to washing Ace's hair. He was careful not to let any shampoo drip into the others eyes as Ace leaned against him. Once he was done, he helped Ace stand on his shaky legs to rinse in the water before helping him out of the tub and onto the toilet seat. Marco kissed Ace on the lips before returning into the water to wash himself.

Ace couldn't help but smile and think of how spoiled he was. Still, he relaxed for a while before finally rising shakily to get dressed. He wondered if Marco would always spoil him as he was currently. He assumed that Marco would and thought of himself as very lucky to be mated to such a person.

…

As he saw Marco and Ace enter the mess hall, Izou's face was shaded a deep, dark red. This was because, the night before, he had the misfortune of walking by their room while they were engaged in, what Izou assumed was very good sex, based on Ace's loud moans, yells, and keens. Now, seeing the two holding hands while they went to retrieve their food from the food line was very awkward for Izou. He looked to his right to see Jozu and Vista trying to obviously look anywhere but Marco and Ace. Izou would have laughed at the two who had most likely heard the same noises he had from Marco's room last night since their rooms neighbored his.

As Marco and Ace approached the table, the three who had heard the sounds of their love-making tried to look anywhere else but them. Marco decided to completely ignore the blushes on the three men's faces and took his seat. Ace followed Marco's movements and took his seat as well although Marco could feel Ace's confusion in the back of his mind. Marco chuckles but says nothing.

"Oh my god," Haruta interjects with surprise, realizing why everyone was acting so strange. He accuses, "You two had sex," pointing at Marco and Ace.

Izou face palms in exasperation as Vista and Jozu sigh. Ace's face becomes bright red with embarrassment while Marco doesn't react at all. He knew that his siblings would catch on quickly, so it didn't bother him that they knew. Still, he can't help but be slightly amused at Ace's embarrassment which echoes in his mind.

"I'm right," Haruta smiles, "Thank god, it's about time. You were taking forever to make any progress."

"Were you keeping tabs on our relationship or something?" Ace sputters nervously.

"Everyone was." Haruta admits only to have Izou immediately cover Haruta's mouth with his hands.

Ace frowns for a minute since he didn't quite understand what was happening. Izou and the others at the table suddenly tried, and failed, at being inconspicuous. Marco's high eyebrows rose even higher as he narrowed his eyes.

"You guys were betting on when we would have sex, weren't you?" Marco guesses accurately, making sweat form on the brows of the others at the table. "For how long were you doing this, yoi?"

"What, you guys bet on that!" Ace exclaimed as he realized the conversation was only getting worse.

"Maybe," Izou said looking off in another direction as he tried to avoid Marco's threatening gaze.

"We only did it because you two kept undressing each other with your eyes." Haruta defended removing Izou's hands.

Marco sighed, knowing that he wouldn't make any progress by holding this against his siblings. It was a tradition in their family to place bets on things like this. "Who won?" He inquired.

"That would be me," Vista stated joyously.

"You only won because Thatch didn't bet." Haruta argued. "If he had bet, he probably would have won."

"Where is Thatch?" Ace asks as he notices the man's absence.

"He's eating with his division today," Izou states blandly after clearing his throat.

Marco and Ace both turn their heads to see the man with the pompadour sitting with his division members. Marco sighs in an exasperated manner and Ace can feel Marco's annoyance in the back of his mind. Marco's face doesn't give away any emotion, but what he's feeling was obvious to Ace.

"He's acting like a petulant child, yoi." Marco says.

"What happened?" Ace asks. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"He didn't tell you," Izou asks in astonishment.

"Tell me what," Ace questions in return and Marco sighs again beside him.

"Marco and Thatch had a falling out." Izou states glaring at Marco ineffectively since Marco was not paying him any mind.

"What, but why," Ace asked in surprise. After asking that Ace found the whole table looking at him with unimpressed expressions, save for Marco. "What?" Ace asked.

"You are very lucky you are pretty." Haruta jokes.

"Are you really that oblivious to everything happening around you?" Izou questions in a grave voice.

"Izou," Marco warns.

"No, Marco," Izou responds angrily. "You and Thatch have been at odds ever since he started traveling with us and he didn't even notice it!"

"It's my fault?" Ace inquires honestly.

"Um, maybe a little," Haruta says with a wince. "But it's really bigger than just you; you were just a catalyst in all this."

"A catalyst," Ace repeats in confusion.

"That doesn't matter," Izou argues. "What matters is you and Thatch suddenly aren't talking to each other and a war is on the way. You know that he was only trying to protect you when he said those things."

"Said what things," Ace inquired only to be ignored as Marco and Izou continued to argue.

"I'm not a little kid anymore, yoi." Marco responded. "He still thinks that he needs to make my decisions for me and he needs to understand that he doesn't."

"That doesn't mean that you need to ignore his input all together," Izou retorted.

"So you would have rather that I had done nothing?" Marco asks lowly.

"You know that's not what I mean." Izou answers. "It's just frustrating to see two people who were so close suddenly drift apart and neither of you are doing anything to stop it."

"What would you have me do?" Marco asks seriously and Ace can feel a cold bleak emotion settle over him. "The past can't be changed and the future is already set in motion. He wants me to selfishly hide so that he doesn't feel guilty. I'm not living for him anymore, yoi. I can't."

"Is that what you've been doing this whole time," Izou asks as tears start to form in his eyes, "living for someone else?"

Marco pauses but his face remains blank and serious, "Yes," he answers.

"You're being cruel," Izou accuses as a tear threatens to fall from his eye.

Marco nods, "But I'm being honest."

Izou's hands clench into fists and the table falls into silence. Marco says nothing more but rises to leave. He doesn't wait for Ace to follow him and Ace stays behind, unsure about what he should do. Izou starts to grind his teeth as Marco exits the mess hall. Suddenly, Ace doesn't feel like eating. Marco's turbulent emotions mix with his own as he pushes his food around his plate.

"Izou," Jozu says breaking the silence, "this may be hard for you to hear since you're so close to Thatch, but can you really say that Marco's feelings are unwarranted? What Marco said was true. You may not have realized it but since the moment those two became Oyaji's sons, Marco has never lived a single second for himself. He's taken on many people's wishes over those of his own. He tries to be Oyaji's perfect son, the family's perfect commander, and even Thatch's perfect brother. He's taken on burden after burden because he thinks that's what people ask of him. It could be said that doing such is in his nature. He's been living selflessly this whole time. Do you think that living that way would make Marco happy? To some extent it might, but even Marco deserves to be selfish sometimes."

"But, if they continue to act this way, then they'll end up hating one another." Izou predicts. "I don't understand how Marco can be okay with leaving things like this?"

"But he's not okay." Ace states in reply.

"What do you mean?" Izou asks.

"I guess it's because we're mates now, but I can feel them a little - Marco's emotions." Ace admits to the surprise of everyone at the table.

"You guys are mates?" Haruta exclaims.

Ace blushes but replies vaguely, "We became mates last night."

"Before or after the sex," Haruta asks.

Ace's blush deepens, but he doesn't answer. "That's not important," He says getting back to the matter at hand. "You might think that Marco's fine with what's happening, but his feelings are all jumbled up. I can't place it, but something cold and dark like depression is settling over him. It feels like he's trying to cut himself off from everyone so you guys don't see that he's actually upset."

"During then," Haruta guesses with a smile.

"Can we stop talking about it," Ace growls. "Anyway, no one's explained to me what happened yet."

"Most of it happened when you were kidnapped." Haruta started to explain with hesitation. "As soon as Teach hung up, Marco started to leave, but Thatch stopped him." Haruta paused before adding, "You have to understand Thatch just wanted to protect Marco, but he was wrong. He -," Haruta took a deep breath, "He wanted Marco to leave you, to abandon you."

Ace's eyes grew wide before he frowned and looked away. He knew that he shouldn't be upset by that. After all, he'd wanted Marco to let him die as well at the time. Still, it hurt to know that someone was against saving him.

"I had wanted the same thing at the time." Ace admitted in a whisper as he bit his lip. "I'm guessing Marco didn't take it too kindly."

"No, he did not." Jozu replied. "But that was only half of the fight."

"What do you mean?" Ace asked.

"When you both arrived home, you were dead asleep." Haruta continued. "It was quite a shock to see that you were cursed. But, to Thatch, it was confirmation of his worst fears. He always worried that people would come after Marco to be cured of the curse he started. So, when he saw that you were cursed, he tried to stop Marco from curing you."

"Why," Ace asked angrily. He could understand Thatch wanting to keep Marco safe by letting him die, but what was the reason for letting him die after Marco had brought him back?

"He thought you would hurt Marco. That you might still be just using him and that you would leave once Marco healed you." Izou replied sadly.

Ace fell into an uneasy silence for a short period of time and no one at the table had the adequate words to break the silence. Ace felt angry and somewhat betrayed. Sure, he'd known that Thatch didn't really like him, but he'd thought that with everything that had happened the man would at least want him to live if it was an option.

"What's stopping him from apologizing?" Ace inquires with anger still nagging at him.

"What," Izou asks breathlessly.

"I said, 'what's stopping him from apologizing'." Ace repeats while raising his voice slightly. "I can understand Thatch's feelings, but I still don't think what he did was right, at least not the second part." Ace looked harshly at Izou. "You're asking Marco to take the first step, but I think you know that Thatch is the one who should. Are you asking Marco to do it because you know Thatch won't? If so that's very unfair." Ace looked down at his mostly uneaten food as he continued, as he was starting to regain his appetite. "Maybe, Marco is being a bit stubborn, but Thatch is being stubborn too. If you asked me, I would say that Thatch needs to respect the fact that Marco isn't always going to do what Thatch wants. Marco's right. Thatch expects Marco to do whatever it takes to be safe because Thatch sees himself as Marco's older brother. But, younger brothers have to live their own way too, even if that upsets their older brothers. As an older brother I know that and that's what Thatch needs to accept."

Ace looked up from his plate, which he had resumed eating, to find almost everyone at the table staring at him as though he had grown a second head. Most of the commanders looked impressed. Jozu, Vista, and Haruta were all smiling while everyone else's faces were lit up with some form of approval. Izou was the only one not staring at him. He looked depressed as he looked down at his own nearly untouched plate.

"Maybe Marco likes you for your mind after all," Haruta laughs and the others join in.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ace asked indigently. "I'll have you know I have my moments."

Izou didn't want to admit it, but he knew Ace was right. Thatch should be the one to apologize, but he also knew that Thatch wasn't going to. Marco was always the one with the level head between the two of them. As it was, it was unlikely that the two brothers would make up. They were supposed to reach the capital later that night, but Izou knew it wouldn't feel like they were home until Marco and Thatch stopped their feud.

…

Whitebeard looked over at Marco, who had come to his throne room and had taken his usual perch on one of the arms of his throne. Marco said nothing but hugged one of his knees to his chest. It wasn't often that Whitebeard saw Marco like this; sulking. As per usual, Whitebeard knew that it was because of Thatch. The two had a couple of fights throughout their childhood and Marco would usually do the same as he was doing now whenever they occurred. Of course, Whitebeard had always somehow convinced Marco to apologize, even when it wasn't his fault. He still convinced Marco to apologize because he knew that Marco was the one that could be convinced.

Now though, Whitebeard wouldn't even think of trying to convince the man to apologize. He knew it would do no good. This was either a turning point or a breaking point in the two men's relationship. If Thatch wasn't willing to do what it took to keep Marco, then it would only be right if Marco left his brother behind. A relationship wasn't meant to be one sided in any way, and theirs had been for a long time, in a couple of ways. Thus, there was nothing for him to say. Instead, he ruffled Marco's hair until the other relaxed and hoped that his other son would come to the right decision.

…

Ace didn't know what to do. He'd gone back to Marco's room, their room, but Marco wasn't there. He had wandered around for a while, not particularly going anywhere but focusing on Marco's emotions. Eventually he ended up outside Whitebeard's throne room. Somehow, he knew that Marco was inside and slowly felt the other's emotions becoming calm. Ace smiled and turned around, leaving Marco in Oyaji's capable hands.

He had begun to head back to the mess hall when he encountered the person he wanted least to see. Thatch didn't even spare him a glance as they passed in the hallway. It was that which peaked Ace's temper.

"Hey," he called out in anger as he quickly spun and followed after Thatch.

"What do you want?" Thatch snarled as he turned to face him.

Ace's anger rose even more and his flames threatened to emerge in response, but he held them back. "What do I want," Ace repeated obstinately. "I want you to stop acting like a petulant child." He said borrowing Marco's words from earlier. "I know what you said and what you did when I was taken and when you found out I was cursed. I know that you did it to protect Marco and I know that you still don't trust me and still hate me. But, I'm a member of this family now; I'm Oyaji's son and Marco's mate. You're not helping anyone by continuing to act like this."

Thatch stepped forward only to shove Ace back. "Don't you get it?" He asks in a yell. "You won. You have Marco wrapped around your little finger, so just leave me the fuck alone."

It was true. In Thatch's mind the fight was over and he had lost. If what Ace said was true, which Thatch was sure that it was, Marco and Ace were nearly inseparable now; they were mates. It was a fact that disgusted Thatch. Marco, his perfect Marco, fell in love with some stupid brat that randomly showed up out of the blue who had no history with him.

"Is that what you think this is?" Ace yells. "Do you think I was just trying to steal Marco from you or something? You don't understand me at all. I love Marco. I want him to be happy. Do you think fighting with you makes him happy?" Ace grits his teeth. "He's in just as much pain as you are. He feels all the things you're feeling. I know because I can feel them. Marco's emotions are in my head and they're terrible." Ace nearly growls his next words, "You're the only one keeping the two of you from being happy again."

"You don't know anything." Thatch replied in a snarl. "Marco's the one who's pushing me away."

"You only say that because you're too stubborn to admit what you did was wrong. You don't want to admit that Marco wants something different then what you want for him." Ace accused. "And you don't want to admit that your younger brother might not need you as much anymore. You're the one who's casting him aside because you're too afraid that his choices might take him away from you."

"Shut up," Thatch demands.

"No," Ace replies, "You need to hear this and no one else is going to tell you. Don't you think I know what it's like to have a younger brother that's throwing himself into danger? I'm an older brother too. We can't keep our younger siblings safe forever. We can't stop them from living the life they choose; even if that means that they'll be in danger. Even if we love them, we can't make their decisions for them."

Quickly, with rage burning in his eyes Thatch stepped forward. A loud slap could be heard through the hall and Ace put his hand to his burning cheek. Ace clenched his jaw and held himself back from retaliating. He didn't want to hurt Thatch, even while he was trembling with rage.

"You don't know a damn thing about me." Thatch said.

"I know that if you keep acting like this you're going to lose Marco just like you fear." Ace said. "I thought that if I talked to you I could make you understand. Izou's right, at this rate, you and Marco will end up hating each other."

Ace said nothing more but walked around Thatch. He didn't feel like he could say anything that would make a difference. He'd been stupid to think that he could change Thatch's mind. It was obvious to him now that Thatch wasn't going to listen to anyone. He was sad and angry as he walked back to his and Marco's room.

…

It was suddenly that Marco jumped from his position on the throne's arm and took off towards the exit of the room. It flustered Whitebeard for a moment, but then he sighed. Marco's actions didn't bode well for the issues at hand. Marco wouldn't leave so abruptly if something good had happened. Therefore, Whitebeard could only assume that something bad had happened.

Whitebeard quickly took out the sake he had stored under his throne and took a long swig straight from the bottle. If things were going to continue the way they were, he needed to be much more intoxicated. It was only a matter of time before every secret that existed between Marco and Thatch would be revealed and Whitebeard could only wonder who would pick up the pieces when it ended.

…

Marco had felt Ace's emotions like he had been all day. He felt Ace's anger and then shock. It was the shock that worried him, even as it became replaced by sadness and anger again. The shock drove him from his place on Oyaji's throne and into the halls of the Moby Dick. He tried to focus on Ace and hoped that their bond would lead him to him. He ran through the halls until he passed another person and skidded to a halt.

Marco turned to look at Thatch and narrowed his eyes. He didn't have any proof, but he assumed that Thatch had something to do with Ace's sudden strange emotions. He crossed his arms and looked at the other in a no nonsense manner.

"Did you do something to Ace, yoi?" He asked Thatch seriously.

"Afraid I hurt your mate?" Thatch nearly spat in anger.

"Did you?" Marco questions.

"It's true then." Thatch says avoiding Marco's question. "You're mated to him now."

"Yeah," Marco affirmed. Marco's expression became a peaceful smile as he continued. "It's weird, but I can feel him, even now in the back of my mind. His emotions echo within me. I never thought it was possible to feel this close to someone. I feel like a piece of his soul is within me. I didn't think I could feel this content, yoi."

Marco's hand was at his chest, just above his heart as he spoke. His heart ached as he talked about his love and his happiness was evident in his expression. It was an expression of true peace. It disgusted Thatch. He hated that peaceful expression because he wasn't the one who caused it.

He could admit it now. He had fallen for the man he had accepted in that past as a little brother. It hadn't happened out right. Marco had been just a little kid when they met. It had really started when Marco started to go through his awakening; when his phoenix powers started to emerge in his teens. In his defense, Marco had gone from being cute to being downright hot in record time. One second he was huggable and the next he was fuckable, and it was incredible. Soon, Marco became taller than him and completely muscles, although skinnier. It also didn't help that Marco was always wise for his age and quickly ascended the commanders' ranks with his new powers aiding his battle skills.

Marco's beautiful fire did a number on him as well. He vaguely remembered seeing some blue phoenix's fire before but being allowed to touch it was another thing altogether. He and Marco took to staying up late on deck and Marco would let him touch his fire to his heart's content. Those were the moments that made him think that Marco had loved him too. Deep down he'd hoped that Marco felt the same as he did, but that hope was belied by Marco's insistence on continuing to call him 'brother'.

Now, Thatch could only grit his teeth as he saw the person he loved love another. It made him sick to know that the happiness in Marco's expression was caused by someone else. His lip trembled and his hands were clenched when he spoke again.

"Why him," He asked in rage as he approached Marco.

"What are you talking about, yoi?"

Thatch grabbed Marco's jacket and yelled, "Why did you choose him? He barely even knew you! You just met him a few weeks ago and now you're mates? Didn't you think about how anyone else would feel? Didn't you think about how I would feel?"

"What-," Marco started but was cut off as Thatch pushed him against a wall roughly with an outraged expression.

The next moment, Marco's thoughts stopped completely in shock. Thatch's lips were on his. Thatch was kissing him and it made his blood freeze in his veins. Yet, he didn't react. He couldn't, he was frozen in shock. He didn't understand what was happening, but he understood that it was wrong.

Thatch opened his eyes. He had squeezed them shut when he'd kissed Marco. God, his heart had jumped, but as he opened his eyes it sunk again. Marco's eyes were wide open in shock and, if he was correct, Thatch saw a hint of fear in Marco's confusion. It wasn't the reaction he'd been hoping for.

He had fantasized many times about finally confessing his feelings to Marco. He fantasized about Marco accepting him and being able to kiss Marco until the blonde's cheeks were tinted darkly with a blush. His fantasies hadn't stopped there though. No, they continued much farther than that. He imagined many times making love to Marco. He'd imagined Marco's bright blue flames caressing him as he took him. He'd often pictured Marco moaning and writhing beneath him when he needed release.

Now, Thatch realized that those fantasies were just that - fantasies. Marco looked shocked and scared and confused. He looked nothing like Thatch had thought he would. As soon as Thatch pulled away from Marco's lips, he was shoved away.

Shivers of shock and betrayal were running up Marco's spine. What the hell had just happened? Thatch had kissed him without his consent and it, admittedly, scared him. How long had Thatch been hiding this? Marco felt like Thatch had betrayed him by hiding something like that and for doing something like that. Marco started to retreat from Thatch, taking steps backwards to get away from the other.

It all started to make sense, in a twisted way. Why Thatch was so defensive of him, why Thatch hated Ace ever since he arrived, and even why he'd wanted Marco to abandon Ace and to leave him uncured; it all made a sick sort of sense. Marco shook his head in denial as he backed away. Guilt and dread nestled in his stomach when he thought of Ace. It felt like he'd betrayed Ace as well. He hadn't responded to Thatch's kiss but he hadn't pushed him away either. Even though his own shock was to blame, it still made him feel horrible. He felt the strong urge to run; to get away from Thatch and get back to Ace.

"Marco, wait," Thatch called reaching out after him as he continued to move backwards.

Marco bolted when he heard Thatch's voice. He didn't want to stay any longer. He didn't want to listen to what the other had to say. All he wanted was to get to Ace. He heard Thatch yell after him, but he ran, leaving the other behind in despair and regret.

…

Ace had been reclining in bed when he Marco suddenly burst into the room and slammed the door behind him. Ace had known that the other's emotions were in a tizzy, but he hadn't expected Marco to be as upset as he was. As soon as he had slammed the door, Marco leaned against it and slid to the ground where he curled up and rested his head on his knees. Ace was deeply troubled by Marco's actions. He could feel Marco's turbulent emotions; anger, sadness, guilt, dread, and fear. He couldn't understand what could make Marco so upset. He quietly got up and approached the blond and gently shook his shoulder.

"Marco," He said softly. "What's wrong?"

Marco shook his head, even though it still rested on his knees. How could he tell Ace what happened? Thatch had kissed him and he hadn't pushed him away. Sure, he was frozen in shock at the time, but that didn't change the fact that he hadn't pushed Thatch away until afterward.

"You'll be angry, yoi," he replied.

"How do you know?" Ace asked wrapping his arms around Marco.

"Because, I would be angry," Marco reasoned.

"Marco, I can feel your emotions. They aren't pleasant, so just tell me what's wrong and maybe they'll go away."

"It's Thatch."

"What happened? Did you guys have a fight again?" Ace questioned. "I tried to talk to him but, he wouldn't listen to me."

"He kissed me." Marco admitted lowly.

"Huh, did you guys make up or something?" Ace asked in confusion.

"No, yoi," Marco huffed with an eye roll that was unseen by Ace. "He was angry that we're mates now. He started ranting about how I wasn't considering his feelings. He just pushed me against the wall and kissed me." Marco paused briefly before continuing, "I was so shocked that I couldn't do anything. I just froze. I'm sorry."

Ace's eyes widened when he realized what Marco was saying. Thatch kissed Marco and not in a brotherly way, no, he kissed him in a romantic way. That meant that Thatch had feelings for Marco. Thatch's actions suddenly made a lot more sense. Ace's temper went off like a fire alarm. How dare Thatch kiss Marco! Marco was his. They were mates now! Ace was not about to let Thatch do whatever he wanted to his Marco.

"See, you're angry, yoi." Marco said as he felt Ace's anger.

"Of course I'm angry!" Ace shouted. "He had no right to do that to you. Marco," He said seriously. "You are mine. No one else is allowed to kiss you or touch you because you belong to me."

"Then you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" Ace asked forgetting about his anger to look at Marco in confusion.

"Because I froze, I didn't push him away and I should have because I'm your mate, yoi."

"Marco, if my brother suddenly said he had feelings for me and kissed me unexpectedly I would have frozen too."

"Hmm... I see," Marco hummed before smirking and starting to crawl towards Ace. "Then, if I'm yours then show me that I am."

"Huh" Ace wondered.

Marco chuckled. "You said I belong to you, right, yoi."

"Yeah," Ace affirmed.

"Then, show me that I belong to you, prove it." Marco whispers. "At this moment, I want to feel like I belong to you. Do you understand?"

Marco was nearly in Ace's lap at this point. Marco's movements slow and promiscuous, made the confusion in Ace's mind clear slightly. His blood started to travel south slowly. He lifted his hand to caress Marco's cheek and Marco leaned into the contact. Marco's eyes were mostly closed.

"What do you want me to do?" Ace asked in a hoarse voice.

"I need you, Ace." Marco breathes. "I want you to take me, yoi."

Ace didn't need to be told twice.

…

_**Sorry that this took so long. I got stuck a couple of times. By the way, it was my beta's idea to make Thatch have hidden feelings for Marco, so you can thank her for the plot twist. Anyway, thank you for the reviews, I love reading them. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**_


	18. Chapter 17

_**NOT EDITED**_

_**...**_

Ace didn't need to be told twice, which was good, because Marco didn't feel like explaining. Truthfully, he didn't quite understand it either. It was strangely sudden that the need settled around him like a heavy blanket. What Thatch had done still ringed in his mind, slowly driving him insane. It had felt wrong, very wrong. He could guess that fact was what was driving him into Ace's arms. After experiencing something wrong, he needed to feel something right. He needed to feel the embrace to his mate to cement himself to reality. For now, he figured that if he could lose himself in what Ace was making him feel, he could erase the cold feeling nestled deep within him.

Of course there was a second reason, although it sounded a lot like the first. On a deeper level, Marco wanted to give himself to Ace because he wanted to prove that Ace was right. Maybe it's strange, but when Ace became possessive of him, it made Marco happy. He belonged to Ace. His body, his mind, his soul; everything belonged to Ace and only Ace.

Ace's blood started pumping much faster when he realized what Marco wanted from him. Ace quickly claimed Marco's mouth, anchoring the other to him with the hand that had previously been caressing the other's cheek with. He found no resistance as his tongue entered Marco's mouth. Marco didn't fight him for dominance, but instead tilted his head to give Ace more access.

It was unbridled and passionate need to dominate his lover claimed Ace. He wanted to let Marco know that he was both capable and willing lead them both to completion. He wanted to make tears of pleasure collect in Marco's eyes and hear Marco call out his name as he came. He wanted to make Marco cum so hard that he was left shaking like Ace had been earlier that day.

Ace's hands quickly go to work pulling Marco's jacket from his shoulders, down his arms and then discarding it onto the floor. With that done he stands and pulls Marco up with him, being careful not to break their kiss. He pushes Marco back onto their bed and crawls on top of him.

Ace doesn't waste time, but instead, starts grinding his hips against Marco's, making their still clothed groins rub against one another. Both men groan into the kiss. Ace releases Marco's mouth to trail wet sloppy kisses down his neck as he sucks on the flesh. One of Marco's hands fists in his hair, but doesn't direct him while the other rests on his back. Ace smirks knowing that Marco's giving him complete and utter control. Ace trails little bites down onto Marco's chest. He smiles devilishly when he feels Marco's already erect nipple brush against his lips. He teases and pulls at the bump with his teeth, earning a low moan from the blond.

As Ace's mouth moves to the other nipple his hands start to work at Marco's sash and belt, undoing both and letting them slide to the floor. Ace's pulls back for a minute and looks down at the blond beneath him. Marco's eyes are half lidded but watching him with a salacious gaze. Ace quickly removes Marco's grey pants and then his own shorts. Marco parts his legs and Ace comes to settle between them. Their bare members brush, making both of them moan once more.

"Lube," Ace asks to have Marco point to where the bottle lay not far away, still where it had been left the previous night.

Ace smiles playfully as he grabs the bottle and starts spreading the lubricant onto his fingers. Marco watches him in odd fascination, but twitches in anticipation when Ace's hand comes to rest at him entrance. Ace's mouth rejoins his, distracting him slightly from the finger teasing around the edge of his entrance. Without warning Ace roughly inserts the first finger making Marco's back arch in surprise. Marco bites his lip as Ace's mouth returns to his neck. He can feel Ace's finger moving against the muscles of his insides spreading the slick substance onto them.

Marco loosens only slightly and Ace adds another finger. Marco's head shifts side to side and Ace feels the other contract around him. He pauses briefly to allow Marco's muscles to retract to start moving again. His fingers scissor and curl spreading the lube inside the other. He can feel Marco's muscles twitch as his fingers rub against them. His other hand moves downwards to settle on Marco's balls, earning him a shudder in response. He fingers start to press gently into Marco's balls massaging them and making Marco's pants of breath to become evident. Ace finally adds a third finger, but this time Marco only moans in response as he's already fairly loose. The three digits curl and uncurl pressing against his muscles until they brush the spot that makes Marco buck his hips.

Ace smiles and says, "I found it."

Marco's lips press into a thin line and his face is brightened with a deep blush. Ace repeats his previous actions curling and uncurling his fingers to make them brush the same spot repeatedly. He can feel Marco's member twitch against his in response at it starts to leak precum. Ace then remembers the night before and how Marco had reacted when his flames touched his skin. He smirks dangerously as he sparks small flames just on the tips of his fingers. The flames ripple against Marco's muscles and Marco grunts through his teeth as his back arches almost painfully. Ace smiles at the response and swiftly ignites fire around the fingers within Marco.

"Nnn, unngh," Marco grunts uncontrollably.

He can feel the flames move and dance against his muscles making them twitch wildly in response. His hands clench digging his nails into Ace's scalp and back. Ace only smirks and starts to move his fingers again. They scissor and curl until they hit that point again that forces Marco to gasp and throw his head back with wide eyes. Ace focuses on hitting that same spot over and over and soon Marco's writhing beneath him with saliva slowly starting to trail down his chin. The sight makes Ace's member twitch against Marco's as he sees his lover so completely at his bidding.

"I want you to cum for me, nice and hard." Ace purrs.

"You're a-acting like I h-have a choice, y-yoi," Marco stutters through a grimace with a tear leaking from his eye.

It was that tear that made Ace pause in his actions. Was that a tear of pleasure or of pain? Was he hurting Marco or doing something he didn't like? Ace's mind went back to that morning and to how gentle Marco had been after their session in the shower. Marco had held him as his body gradually stopped trembling and then washed him lovingly. Marco had been gentle with him. He suddenly felt guilty that the first thing that came to his mind when taking Marco was to dominate him completely.

"Marco," Ace whispers as he brings the hand that had been cupping the other's balls up to caress his face. "If it doesn't feel good we can stop."

Marco's eyes widen momentarily before he smiles and shakes his head. "I-it feels good, yoi. Don't s-stop."

"Good," Ace smiled, "because I want to make you feel good."

Ace' brought his hand back down to Marco's member and started moving his flaming fingers inside Marco again. Marco's face contorted again and shivers started to travel up and down his spine. Ace curled and uncurled his fingers over Marco's sensitive nerves repeatedly.

Marco's breaths came in heavy pants. It felt too good to him. The heat from Ace's fire pressed harshly into his pleasure center made him groan as he squeezed his eyes shut. His hands leave Ace to come back to the mattress and fist the sheets of the bed in his hands. Ace fingers come to the head of his length and make him buck his hips. Marco could feel himself coming close. Precum leaks from his member and his whole body feels hot and tingling. Ace's inserted a forth finger and Marco could only moan brokenly in response.

"Fuck," Ace cursed, "I didn't know that many could fit."

Marco's muscles contract around Ace's fingers and his face becomes a grimace. Ace leans down to gently kiss Marco's jaw, but doesn't give him time to relax. All at once, Ace intensifies the heat of his flames and pushes forcefully into Marco's prostate. Marco feels the wave of intense pleasure consume his body and gasps as his body seizes.

His muscles contract and Ace got what he wanted; Marco cums very hard. Marco's voice broke as his muscles tightened around Ace's fiery fingers and his seed sprayed wildly from his member. Yet, Ace doesn't remove his fingers from where they were pressed against Marco's prostate, this makes Marco writhe as his orgasm consumes him. Marco's body shakes in response to the all encompassing pleasure and his vision goes completely white. The orgasm is too much and Marco becomes limp even as his body still twitches in pleasant torment.

Ace removes his fingers from Marco's pleasure center and felt his own member leaking precum freely as his watches Marco seize with his orgasm. He wants to take Marco as he was at the moment, still trembling from his resent orgasm. Marco looks so beautiful in that defenseless state, but Ace restrains himself. He doesn't want to push Marco too far. Instead, he takes the other into his arms. He waits for a moment until Marco's shivers all but stop to move again. He leans Marco back onto him so that his member comes into contact with Marco's backside and returns his hand to Marco's member. Marco writhes as he comes down from his orgasm only to feel Ace's hand torturing him by reawakening his member so soon after he'd spent its load.

"I want to take you now," Ace says with a hoarse voice as he pushes Marco forward until the blond is on his forearms and knees. "I want to take you like this," he said as his member rubs against Marco's entrance and they both moan in response.

"T-take me then, y-yoi" Marco stutters and trembles as he struggles to stay in the position Ace wants him in.

Ace can't help but smirk as he adds some lube to his member and readies to enter Marco. He could see the other still shaking slightly from his previous orgasm, although he was pleased to see that Marco's member was so quickly becoming hard again. He inserts himself into Marco and immediately feels the other tighten in response. Ace moans at the tightness, but gives his lover a moment to adjust. Marco's panting becomes slightly slower as his muscles relax around Ace. Ace's hand reaches around and grabs his length again, making Marco grimace.

"Ace," Marco whines lowly with a deep dark blush on his face.

Ace takes that as permission to continue and thrusts into Marco until his length is buried deep into him. Marco's body, slick with sweat, rocks forward with the power of the thrust and he gasps at the feeling of all of Ace's length being imbedded within him. Ace's hand massages his balls and Marco's arms collapse as he's unable to support himself any longer with the spasms ripping through his body. Ace continues to hold Marco's hips up and in position to thrust into. He supports Marco with his hand that's on the others member. The friction that that action supplies makes Marco's eyes squeeze shut in sweet agony. His other hand is on Marco's hip, pulling the other toward him as he thrusts forward.

"Uagh," Marco grunts as Ace repeats the thrusts and Marco clenches his fists in the sheets. "Ah, augh, emm, ha, ah, augh," his grunts are soft and quiet but lust filled as saliva drips from his mouth and water makes tracks down his face from his eyes.

Ace's thrusts are deep and they make Marco's body rock back and forth with their movement. Ace finds Marco's pleasure center and Marco dissolves into soft whimpers, moans, and mewls. Marco's face is turned sideways on the bed and Ace takes in the sight. Marco's eyes are shut tightly while his cheeks are stained bright red. Tears leak from his shut eyes and saliva drips from the corner of his open mouth that pants his ragged breaths and gasps. Ace's hand moves to the base of Marco's length and pumps it up and down in time with the thrusts that go to Marco's prostate, all while supporting Marco's weight on the same throbbing member. Marco's own muscles start to pull Ace further into him, guiding his length to that sweet spot of ecstasy. Marco's member starts to leak again and Ace smirks mischievously.

"Not yet, Marco," Ace purrs, "don't you want to feel even better?"

Ace allows his member to be coated in flames deep inside Marco and feels the blonde's body twitch wildly in reply. Marco's breaths become heavy heaves as the heat and fire now coating Ace's length drives him insane with pleasure. The fire moves against his muscles heating and caressing them and his mouth hangs open in pleasure. Ace starts to thrust again and Marco can barely breathe. The thrusts make is body shake violently and the fire massages his insides with every motion Ace makes.

"Ah, oh, ennn, uagh, augh," Marco gasps brokenly with each thrust, "Ace, emm, ha, ha, OH."

Marco can't feel anything other than Ace inside of him and Ace's hand pleasuring him. With one powerful thrust Ace assaults Marco's prostate forcefully and makes him scream. Marco's back arches to bring his head up and to throw it back. Ace no longer needs to pull Marco's hips back to meet him as the blond starts to do the motions himself. He's nearly impaling himself on Ace's member as his feels the other's balls hitting his backside with each thrust. Marco grunts with every thrust and his throat starts to hurt from his pants. Marco's head falls back onto the mattress as his mind becomes blank every time Ace hits his prostate and he's left to writhe on the sheets once more.

He's close again and so is Ace. Marco's muscles tighten and release around him with every thrust. He squeezes Marco's member tighter and pumps harder, loving the sounds and expressions he's earning from the other. A deep pillaging thrust drives both men over the edge. Marco cums again onto the blankets beneath him and feels Ace cum inside him wetting the muscles previously being tantalized with flames. Marco trembles as he can feel Ace's seed soaking his insides and his muscles contract painfully around the other's length. Marco's mind collapses with the force of his orgasm once more. Ace moans at the tightness of Marco's muscles. He also dissolves into euphoria, but not as harshly as he's able to stay kneeling above Marco and not to collapse onto him.

Ace comes down from his high first to see Marco convulsing beneath him. He can't help but feel a little bit proud of himself. Marco's muscles finally relax around him, allowing him to gently pull his length free. He hears Marco gasp as he pulls out of him. Ace releases Marco's hips and collapses beside the blond. He then pulls Marco close until the blond is lying peacefully on top of him and waits for the other to return to reality. Marco returns to awareness as Ace is wiping away his tears and he smiles. Slowly, Marco's spasms stop and he sighs as his whole body relaxes. His eyes are heavy as Ace traces his spine with his fingertips.

"Did I make you feel good?" Ace asks, cocky.

Marco chuckles, but admits, "So good that it should be a crime."

"Good," Ace giggles before noticing Marco's drooping eyes, "if you're tired then sleep."

Marco shakes his head and replies, "We're arriving at the capital tonight, yoi. I should try to stay awake, Oyaji might need me."

"If he does then I'll wake you up." Ace offers, "So just sleep for a bit."

"I probably couldn't even if I tried." Marco states blandly.

Although his emotions were calmer now, the feeling of anxiety was still in the back of his mind. He still had to deal with Thatch, but he didn't know what to do. It was completely unexpected for Thatch to feel that way about him. How was he supposed to respond? He'd never felt that way about Thatch. To him, Thatch had always been his big brother and best friend; nothing more.

"Stop thinking about it," Ace says suddenly. "Worrying about it won't solve anything, just rest for a while. It doesn't need to be fixed right this second."

Marco nods and closes his eyes. Ace pulls the blankets over them. Sleep is already pulling at his consciousness as Ace continues to trace his spine and back. He descends slowly into sleep and sighs dreamily. The sleep he falls into is dreamless as his breaths even out.

…

It's roughly an hour later when Ace carefully slips out from underneath Marco. He quickly readjusts the blankets over the other and goes to the bathroom to clean off. His stomach growls and lets him know that it's time for lunch. Ace sighs and swiftly cleans off before getting dressed again. As he opens the door to leave to grab food for Marco and himself he turns to look back at the blond peacefully sleeping on their bed. He smiles and closes the door behind him as he leaves.

He told Marco not to worry about it, but as he walks to the mess hall, Ace can't help but think about the situation with Thatch. He is still angry. What had Thatch been thinking? He just kissed Marco out of the blue even though he knew that they were mates now. Now, it was even less likely that the two would make up. The whole situation made Ace's blood boil.

Marco had trusted Thatch as his older brother. Ace had felt how Marco had felt betrayed when it happened. All of Marco's emotions had been dark. Although they were dulled now, he could still feel a hint of those emotions still in Marco. How were they supposed to fix something like that? Did Marco even want to fix things? Ace couldn't really blame him if he didn't but Marco wasn't the type of person to let things end like that.

The jealous part of Ace didn't want to let Thatch anywhere near Marco again, but he knew that the rift between the two needed to be repaired. A war was on the way and they couldn't afford to have infighting in their ranks. Marco and Thatch would be two of the people Akainu would target the most, so they couldn't also be fighting with each other.

Ace arrives at the mess hall and his stomach growls at the smell of the food. He enters the hall and sees that there is a commotion taking place. All of the food is left abandoned at the tables as the people had all gathered around the commanders table where a scuffle was taking place.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Ace hears Izou shout furiously.

"Izou calm down," he hears Haruta urge.

Quickly, Ace starts to push through the crowd to see what is happening. As he emerges from the crowd he is surprised by what he sees. Haruta and Vista are holding back a screaming Izou who looks furious with puffy, red eyes. Across from them is Thatch, who was being helped up by Juzo. Thatch holds his hand over his eye that will no doubt become black later.

"Let me go," Izou screams as his struggles against Vista and Haruta's holds, "I'm going to kill him."

Ace stands dumbly watching the scene for a few minutes. What the hell had happened? Izou and Thatch were best friends, so why were they suddenly at each other's throats? Izou's makeup was smeared from his tears and he looked truly like a vengeful demon as his face was contorted into a snarl. Thatch on the other hand looked as surprised as Ace felt, even though anger was slowly taking over his expression.

"Whoa, whoa, what the fuck is happening?" Ace asks drawing attention of all who were involved in the altercation.

Everyone pauses in their movements as they are surprised to see Ace. Izou stops struggling and becomes sullen as his tears started to flow again. Vista and Haruta relax their holds slightly and try to console the other. Thatch glares at Ace before pulling his arm out of Jozu's grasp and stalks away.

"Don't you dare leave, you coward!" Izou screams after him only to be ignored.

Thatch pushes through the crowd and leaves the others to stare after him and shake their heads in disapproval. Ace sighs in annoyance as he watches the man leave. He thinks about following after him and demanding an explanation, but decides to stay and hear the story from Izou first. He goes to stand in front of the other and is concerned. Jozu quickly clears the crowd by telling everyone to return to their meals.

"Hey," Ace says softly as he tries to comfort Izou, "What happened?"

Izou shakes his head and looks away. Haruta and Vista let Izou go and he crosses his arms. Ace looks to the others, but no one meets his eyes. It doesn't take long for Ace to realize why. He may be dense on some occasions but he wasn't stupid by any measure.

"You guys know about it then," Ace guesses.

"You know?" Haruta asks in surprise.

"Of course, Marco told me about it." Ace explains. "We are mates, after all."

"Is he," Izou starts to ask to see Ace nod.

"He's sleeping now." Ace said and the others sigh in relief and nod.

"We were worried that you guys were taking so long." Haruta explained. "Then Thatch came in looking upset. He told us what happened. We thought that Marco might be really upset."

"He isn't open with many people, to have one of those people do something like that; we were worried about him." Vista explains.

"He was upset, but I think he'll be okay now." Ace replies. "But I still don't understand. You two were so close. Were you guys fighting just over that?"

"It's complicated." Haruta says awkwardly.

The others turn toward Izou as they wait for his response. Izou just continues to stare at the floor as he wipes his tears away. Haruta holds Izou's hand in a show of support as the others wait patiently for him to regain his composure.

"It's not like it's a big secret." Izou mumbles. He speaks quietly so that only those very close can hear. "Thatch and I, we have sex sometimes. It's not like we're in a relationship or anything. It was casual, but, I don't know. I guess I started to think it was more than that. I thought that, we might, you know, become something. I started to love him, but I didn't know that he loved Marco. I thought we had something, now it just feels like I was being used as a substitute."

Izou's throat starts to close with the force of his emotions. Ace's eyes widen but then he nods in understanding. Marco wasn't the only one who felt betrayed by Thatch's actions. Izou felt even worse. Ace steps forward and takes Izou into a hug. Izou responds immediately by burying his face in Ace's neck as he tears resume and Ace pats his back.

"I'm sorry, Izou." Ace whispers gently.

Izou shakes his head and tries to dry his tears. Ace continued to hold him for some time until he regained control over his emotions and pulled away with a bittersweet smile. Ace smiles back at him.

"Now, I'm going to have to fix my make up." Izou complaines with a snort.

Ace laughs lightly, "You'll be okay," he assures.

Izou nods solemnly in agreement.

…

Marco finally stirs awake to find his mate sitting at his desk with a plate of uneaten food beside him. Marco can't help but chuckle at the situation. Ace hears him and smiles back as him with questioning eyes.

"I feel as though we've reversed roles, yoi." Marco states.

"Is that a bad thing?" Ace asks sweetly.

"No, just different," Marco responds with a smirk.

Marco stands up to go to the bathroom to clean himself. Ace follows his mate's naked body out of the corner of his eye. Marco catches his gaze with a smirk before going into the bathroom. Ace hears the water start to run and has to quickly distract himself from the mental images of Marco showering that collect in his mind. He refocuses on the task at hand and tries to ignore the noise in the background of the water hitting Marco's body. Soon the water is turned off and Marco exits the bathroom fully clothed again and grabs the plate of food that was left for him. He notices Ace is writing on a piece of paper as he goes to take a seat at the window.

"What are you writing, yoi?" He asks curiously while starting to eat.

Ace jumps at the sudden question. "I'm writing a letter to my brother and everyone back in the Air Nation. They must be worried about me by now. I figured I better let them know that they don't have to anymore and that I won't be coming back home anytime soon."

Marco nods understandingly. "I think that I'd like to meet them.

"Huh," Ace asks.

"I want to meet them, yoi." Marco repeats, "Your brother and your friends, you've met my family I think it's only fair if I meet yours."

"I'm kind of worried about that," Ace admits without explaining.

"Oh," Marco teases, "am I not good enough to bring home to your family, yoi?"

"That's not it," Ace replies sharply before continuing, "I'm just worried that Luffy's going to do something stupid."

"Like," Marco urges.

"Like trying to fight in the war with us," Ace explains.

"I see, yoi." Marco nods, "You don't want to get him involved because you want to protect him."

"Of course," Ace affirms.

"Have you ever thought he might have the same sentiment towards you?" Marco asks. "For example, if your places were exchanged would you not come to fight alongside him, yoi?"

"Hell yes, I would!" Ace answers swiftly before realizing that he fell into the trap Marco had laid with his words. He pouts and looks back at the smirking blond. "That's not fair. Big brothers are supposed to protect their younger siblings. Younger brothers are supposed to let their big brothers fight their own battles."

"Family is family, Ace." Marco retorts, "I thought you would have learned that from travelling with us."

"It's different, Marco." Ace argues. "Luffy was such a crybaby and he's always getting into trouble. He can't lie for shit and he's always doing things without thinking about the risks. I don't want him wrapped up in a fight with someone as vicious as Akainu. If he makes a mistake in a situation like that it might mean his death. What if I can't protect him?"

Marco chuckles and sets his plate aside. He walks over to Ace and wraps his arms around him from behind. Ace sighs and hangs his head as Marco kisses his neck with a smirk.

"You have quite the little brother fetish, don't you?" Marco jokes making Ace pout.

"I do not!" Ace insists turning his head away from Marco. "It's just," he says as he becomes serious, "I promised Sabo that I would take care of him. Before Sabo left, he made me promise to keep Luffy safe as the middle sibling." Ace explains solemnly, "When we got the news that no one had survived on his ship, Luffy wouldn't stop crying. Luffy made me promise him that I wouldn't die. That's the whole reason I came looking for you to cure me. Now, if Luffy gets involved with this war, I'm worried that I won't be able to keep those promises."

Marco holds Ace close and whispers, "You're not alone, yoi. I'm here, Oyaji's here, everyone's here, so you have to trust us. Rely on us and we'll help you keep your promises. If your brother comes then we will protect him as we would you."

"You always talk like everything's easy." Ace says leaning back against Marco.

"No, I know it won't be." Marco replies realistically. "We'll be arriving at the capital soon and we'll have to meet with the Earth Council to prepare for the coming war. Soon nothing will be easy, yoi. But, we will find a way."

Marco reaches over and opens a drawer of the desk. He reaches inside and withdraws a couple things from the door. He sets the items in front of Ace and Ace fusses with them in curiosity.

"What is this stuff?" Ace asks.

"It's wax and a stamp for your letter." Marco explains, "Everyone in Oyaji's Army uses wax and this stamp to seal their letters."

Ace picks up the cylinder of gold colored wax and turns it this way and that. Next he picks up the seal. It has a wooden handle and a metal plate engraved with an image. The image is of Whitebeard's symbol with detailing around it that looks like earth coming apart in fissures.

"I can use this now?" Ace inquires.

"Normally only Oyaji and I can use the golden wax. All the other commanders use silver and the normal troops use copper colored wax." Marco smiles and places a quick kiss on Ace's cheek. "But, I figure since we haven't formally decided where you'll be in the ranks and since you're my mate, you should be able to use it. Maybe your brother will realize that it means you're safe with us."

"You're placing too much faith in my brother's knowledge." Ace sighs. "He won't recognize it, but maybe Robin will."

"Robin," Marco questions.

"She's a friend of my brother's. She's a tengu and she knows everything about, well, everything. She's the one who told me that you were rumored to be in Oyaji's Army." Ace informs.

"I see," Marco smiles and goes to the door to leave the room. "We should reach the capital within the next two hours, when we get there we can send your letter out. Will it be done by then?"

"Yeah, but where are you going," Ace replies in question.

Marco sighs and rubs the back of his head. "I need to go talk to Thatch and fix this. We can't be fighting at a time like this."

"You might want to talk to Izou too." Ace suggests. "He was pretty upset earlier about Thatch."

Marco sighs again. "Sometimes I wonder if being the practical one is worth it."

Ace giggles, "I don't envy you."

"Just write your little brother complex letter." Marco says sarcastically as he opens the door and steps out.

"I do not have a complex!" Ace screams after him as he closes the door.

…

_**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They made me really happy and my beta also enjoyed them a lot. It might take a while for the next chapter to be written because I'm working a lot more hours this week. Thank you all again. -LPC**_


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